Unlikely Love
by FliscentFiretail
Summary: A girl from our world finds herself drowning in a car wreck. The weird thing? Her car pops out the other side of the lake instead of hitting the bottom and she finds herself in the Naruto-verse. With the help of the Hokage, Naruto and friends will she be able to make it in this topsy turvy world of ninja as she faces off against untold evil and worst of all... love? Lemons Lang etc
1. Chapter 1

_**Unlikely Love**_

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Written by: Fliscent Firetail

Edited By: DragonSlayer2187

Updated: 10/21/14

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**Author Note:**

**Alright!**

**So for those of you who have tried reading the story that I wrote before this, you know that our main character is not going to go down without a fight. For those of you who chose not to read the Author's notice… haha. Looks like you get to stress out over it. Yes, I understand that some author's get a kick out of killing off their main characters right out of the gate, but I'm not one of those writers.**

**Ahem. That being said, I would like to say that this story has a fabulous plot with lots of interesting twists and turns. I just had to point that out because with the other story there was no plot. But moving on! I have finally figured out how to make an interesting plot!**

**I would like to thank DragonSlayer2187 for responding to the call for an editor. She edited this chapter and helped give more detail so make sure to thank her for her help on making this awesome story better!**

**Also, the rating on this story is going to be M because it will contain adult content such as foul language, mature situations, and if the readers cheer loud enough for it, lots of steamy lemons.**

**THIS IS GOING TO BE SEMIREALISTIC! AKA: AS REALISTIC AS POSSIBLE, THOUGH IT MIGHT NOT BE PERFECT, REGARDING THAT ASPECT. There will be darker aspects to the story later, perhaps, if the plot bunnies breed as planned or not planned. -_-* you know how bunnies get in plot season...**

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**Disclaimer: I do no own Naruto, or any of its character, Kishimoto does. I only own my original characters.**

**Warnings: Language. There are a few curse words in this. Other than that, none for this chapte. :)**

_Italics are Thoughts_

**Bold is English**

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**Preface **

_It was quiet that evening, the sky fiery and fierce as the sun set on a dying day. Soon the rich purples faded across the sky, leaving only seeping indigo on the horizon. The Anbu patrolman paused on his path around the Lake, to take in the peaceful sight of the summer fireflies flashing and glowing as they flew over the water. The Anbu couldn't help but grin behind his porcelain mask as one flew up to him, a finger already offered to the large glowing bug. It landed for a moment before drifting off across the water once more to join with its fellow lightning bugs. _

_The Anbu smiled at the bugs, before taking a deep breath, enjoying the fresh scents of water and brush that surrounded him. It was so peaceful, so pleasant. Throughout the years, the man had learned to appreciate the moments like this. After all, with the violence and missions that made up daily life for an Anbu Operative in general, such serenity was far and few in between. Letting his breath back out in a sigh of contentment at the calming sounds surrounding his person's, he couldn't help but think it was such a beautiful night._

_All of sudden the lake began to glow from within startling the Anbu from his thoughts and brining his focus to the lake. The glowing bugs that had been slowly drifting in a lazy manner before, started to swirl in beautiful, but erratic patterns across the water. A wind picked up, causing ripples to form across the once calm water's surface. _

_**Looks like another person is coming through the lake tonight**__**,**__** and so soon too**__,__ thought the man. He barely had time to finish the thought before there was a sharp hiss of metal. He had only time for a shocked and panicked look to cross his face before his head left his body to land in the dewy grass, his body crumpling into a heap behind it. There was a slight chuckle from the shadows, followed by a pale man with long dark hair and golden eyes with a slit pupil stepping into the moonlight. Around his eyes were strange purple eye markings, which made his exotic eyes become even more of a focus. Right now though, those eyes were wide open in a clear display of excited blood lust, due to the thick metallic smell of it now tainting the once lovely night air._

_"Orochimaru-sama," said a voice from the shadows, a group of four appearing beside him in the dim light._

_"Sound four. Report," the pale man answered with a raspy hiss._

_"We have located the subjects that you were seeking. A woman and a boy. It looks like the Intel was correct. It also appears that there is one more coming through the portal tonight." Said the leader quietly. _

_The pale man chuckled, a grim look of satisfaction twisting over his features. "Good. We will wait for our newest test subject to arrive. Once they are through the lake, we will take the boy and the woman with us, along with the new arrival. Tanyu, Juu, go and retrieve Karin. We will need her sooner than we thought."_

_"Ah," replied both the kneeling figures before they disappeared in a flurry of shadows. Orochimaru smirked as he returned his attention back to the lake. He was so close to immortality that he could almost taste it._

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**Chapter 1: A Brave New World**

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In the dark of her room sat a young woman, her knees drawn to her chest with her arms wrapped around them as slight tremors shook her shoulders, at her repressed sobs. The woman's short curly brown hair was mussed and tangled, in the need of a good brushing as dark bags shown underneath her eyes, from the many nights of little to no sleep.

"Just where is she?" she whispered to the dark of the room. Her best friend had gone missing a few days ago. She had been part of the sweeps through the woods that had taken place before the searches where called off suddenly today. She sighed tiredly as a lone tear slips past her eyelid and begins making its journey down the sickly pale skin of her lower face. It finally comes to a stop on the tip of her chin and fell to land on the top of her bent knees. She was worried sick. Just where was Antonia? Thought the young woman, whose name was Samira.

A phone begins to ring down the hallway from her room, the sound muffled slightly as it bounced through the silent apartment. This drew the woman's attention from whatever morbid thoughts she was having, but the sound didn't bring her comfort. Tightening her hold on her legs, her brown eyes darted to the hallway where the red flash of the phone's light reflected off the dimly lit walls. Soon the phones shrill ringing is cut off to be replaced by a young woman's voice saying cheerfully, "Hey there! This is Samira R. Haze. I'm sorry I'm not able to come to the phone right now, but please leave your name, number, and message at the tone and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks!"

A loud beep sounded for a few minutes and then a distinctly male voice hesitantly spoke, "Hey there… Um, it's Brian… Ah, listen… they… they found her car." At this the young woman's hold on her legs tightened to the point they began to lose feeling and her fingers turned white from the death grip. Brian had been part of the searches and was a friend of hers. He had been dealing with some of the higher ups since his father was a police officer. He had promised to let her know the moment they found anything. With the tone of his voice however, her throat tightened in anticipated dread, making it hard for her to breathe as she waited for the man to say anything more. She didn't have long to wait as his voice now chocked with sadness continued in a whisper, "I-It was floating in the lake… off of Richmond Bridge. Samira… they can't find a body but… they… don't think that she… made it. I'm so sorry. I wish-" Another loud beep cut him off as his time had run out, but she didn't need to hear anymore.

Tears where now pouring freely as the young woman, Samira, began to shake harder, her face now buried in her knees. Soon a keening wail was heard from her as she grabbed a pillow, crushing it to her as she desperately wished that it wasn't true, that she hadn't just lost her best friend.

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Two months later found Samira standing in her room as she regarded it coolly, dull brown eyes taking in the sparseness of it, the lack of personal effects and color, lifeless and devoid of human touch. Satisfied, she finished putting the last sheet over the wardrobe before closing the door to her room behind her. She hated this place. It held so many bad memories, memories from her childhood, memories about her parents. About fights and cheating and alcohol and death. Loosing Antonia though had been the last straw for Samira though, and she couldn't bring herself to say here any longer.

Going down the hallway and past the living room she took in the sheet covered furniture as she went before finally pausing one last time to take in her home, knowing that she wouldn't be returning for a long time. Content that everything was where it should be and that she hadn't forgotten anything important she locked the old black door behind her before stepping off the porch and down the steps that led to her waiting car below, boxes and luggage easily seen stacked up, blocking out most of the windows of the silver Golf VW.

Getting in, she forwent the radio, instead opting for silence as she drove, the only sounds being heard were those made by the rumble of the engine and the hum of the tires on the wet road. Brown eyes took in the misty coverage of autumn before a soft sigh fell past her lips, her grip on the steering wheel tightening as she thought of how much Antonia had loved the fall. It felt like her heart was tightening in her chest as she drove, knowing that she was going to have to say goodbye before she left.

Soon the Richmond Bridge came into sight and she swallowed roughly, thoughts and emotions a jumbled mess. This was where it had happened. This is where Antonia had… died. Samira took a deep breath as she struggled to control her rising grief as the sound of the tires changed when she entered the new stretch of concrete and steel that was the bridge. It wasn't long for a bridge. In fact it was rather on the short side, but it had been long enough, high enough for her to lose her closest friend when the car had gone flying over the edge and into the still waters bellow.

Samira suddenly jolted when a sudden sharp pain flashed from her leg. She cringed and slapped her leg, grimacing when she spotted the dead ant under her hand. Looking up, her eyes widened at the figure standing in the middle of her lane that hadn't been there two seconds ago.

"FUCK!" she cursed, panicked. Without another thought, she slammed on the brakes and turned the steering wheel sharply to the side in hopes of missing the person.

There was a high squealing sound as the rubber tried to grip the wet concrete until suddenly, the car was flipping. There was an ominous crunch as it hit the railing, flying over the edge and into the cold waters down below. The occupant of the car could barely get out a scream as she saw her world go from steady level road, to a swirly chaotic blur, only to then settle on the swiftly approaching greyish blue of the lake, which she could barely see over the dull white of her deployed air bag.

An ear deafening smack was heard as the car hit the water making a giant splash. Samira's head whipped back and forth from the impact and she let out a moan as her head hit something hard and unyielding. This left her feeling disoriented, struggling to regain her balance as the car continued to shake and groan as it sank deeper into the water. The sting of the seat belt as it cut into the middle of her chest, which was sure to leave a bruise later, helped bring her mind back into some type of focus and onto the situation at hand.

Focusing now on her cracked windshield she saw the grey depths of the water that surrounded her and by the air bubbles shooting past her. The heavy metal car, loaded with luggage, was sinking rapidly. The sound of trickling water filled the almost dead silence and she could feel the coolness of it start to soak her shoes. Looking down panic once again filled her as she noticed the water trickling in around the frame of the door, causing the water level in the care to slowly rise. Trying to think of what to do around her panic, Samira was once again hindered as her head began to throb in pain from where she had hit it.

"I-I need to get out," she whispered to herself as some blood began to dribble down the left side of her face and into her eye, which stung like hell and made her unable to see out of that eye. All her thoughts however where paused when a high pitched cracking sound was heard. Samira's eyes immediately where drawn to the windshield where a spider web of cracks where slowly beginning to grow from a central crack as the car sunk deeper and deeper into the swiftly darkening waters. _The water pressure_, she thought with growing panic as she watched the windshield continue to crack under the growing strain, _the air, it's trying to escape with the growing pressure and it's going to break the windshield._ She struggled against her belt frantically, knowing that her time was running out. Clink. Ping. She froze eyes wide as she stared at the windshield, taking a deep breath, knowing what was going to come next.

Whoosh! The glass finally gave way under the water pressure and she raised her hands in time to protect her face as the glass blasted into the car along with rushing torrents of water. A sharp stinging started up in her arms and chest as the glass hit her in several places. The force of the water pushing her back into her seat leaving her defenseless as it powerfully rushed in, trying to force itself into her lungs and up her nose.

Samira began to thrash wildly in panic, but the powerful torrents of water and still buckled seat belt held her firmly in place. As the car continued to sink, the light from the surface began to grow dimmer and dimmer, turning the once grey blue water to black and leaving Samira completely blind in the suffocating icy depths of waters embrace. _I should have hit bottom by now, _her thoughts sluggish as her mind screamed for air and her struggles began to weaken.

That's when the car sank past a dark still shape in the water, making Samira tense as she continued to clumsily try to detach her belt. She frowned as she noticed another dark shape pass and she groggy comprehended with a massive wave of confusion that it looked like a giant tree root and that the water was no longer a pitch black, but seemed to be returning to its grey blue state it was when she first entered. This made it easier for her to actually see more clearly and as she passed another shape Samira could defiantly tell it was a giant tree root.

_I must be hallucinating,_ she thought dizzily as her lungs continued to burn for air, _there's no way I could survive this. It's too late. Oh well, might as well…_ she thought before taking in the breath that her lungs so desperately required. She shuddered and jerked wildly at the foreign and uncomfortable sensation of her lungs filling with the water, not even noticing the car starting to drift upward at a faster rate than before. She blinked rapidly as her vision began to falter, spots swimming before her eyes, as she took another breath of water, wild shudders running through her frame before the car broke through the surface of the water.

With a loud roaring sound the water poured out of the broken windows and cracks in the doors. As soon as the water was past her head her body reacted even more violently, trying to make her double over and expel as much of the foul liquid from its system as possible. Samira coughed and hacked as her upper body pushed against the restraining force. Finally done ejecting the glowing liquid from her lungs she sat slumped and shuddering against the steering wheel, utterly exhausted.

At this point a random thought wandered into her fatigued mind, _glowing water?_ But her mind was too tired to puzzle it out. Closing her eyes and taking many deep breaths, she began the process of trying to calm her body and gain some semblance of peace after that whole ordeal. It wasn't until the soft blue light surrounding her began to dim that she opened her eyes and began to become aware of her surroundings as she continued to greedily gulp down precious air. That was when she spotted the figures with dark eyes and bone white masked faces surrounding her.

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Morino Ibiki was not a patient man. While he could be when it was required of him, by nature he was generally not so generous. Many could attest to this, seeing as the man was the head of the Hidden Leaf's Torture and Investigation unit. Standing at over six feet tall, with a powerful build, a scarred rugged face, and cold black eyes, he was well suited for his job of wringing information out of his subjects.

The men that where traveling with him however, where greatly testing his limited patience, with their fruitless chatter, which was grating on his nerves. Sighing the man shoved his black gloved hands into his pockets, stern face darkening with his growing irritation as his black trench coat whirled behind him in his wake.

In an effort to tune the chattering men out, the irritated man let his mind turn instead to the subject of his current mission. The scarred man's eyes narrowed as he thought back to what the Hokage had told him, about how Orochimaru had broken into the Forbidden Lake and past a very powerful barrier before making off with three of the people who had come from the lake, earlier this week.

Ibiki scratched his chin distractedly, the rough pull of stubble ghosting across his gloves as his thought turned to the mystery of the lake and it's people. The people that would come out of the lake where always a bit of a unknown whenever they came through, as Ibiki could recall from his youth when he had first been introduced to the top secret location of the lake. He had remembered seeing the waters begin to glow blue and the shadows start to rise from the depths of the lake before a drowned and bedraggled man was ejected from the waters, hacking and gasping as he struggled to stay afloat. That had been years ago, the man long dead.

In fact, all the people that came through had a tendency to die off quickly, though the Hidden Leaf had managed to come up with a few ways to extend their short lives, even if it was only by a couple of months, or years if they were extra lucky. They had never figured out however how to extend these people's lives to a regular hundred year old life span. Most of the time they got only a couple of years at best, despite all the Hidden leaf's years of study and research.

So the question to ask is why would Orochimaru, after all these years, suddenly decide to break into the Lake and steal some of the subjects that had come through? It's not like they lived long to be interesting or useful test subjects to the scientist. It was troubling to say the least that Ibiki couldn't even guess at why the twisted genius wanted the subjects badly enough to come get them himself, if the reports were correct.

Ibiki and the group traveling with him came to a halt when an Anbu agent suddenly appeared in their path. "State your business," demanded the masked man in a monotone voice, holding his sword in a ready position.

"I am Morino Ibiki, Head of the Torture and Investigation Unit. I have been sent by the third Hokage to gather reports of the incident and transport any remaining subjects back to Konoha," he stated handing over a scroll before the Anbu's gaze turned to the men traveling with him.

"We are the barrier squad that the third Hokage sent to replace or fix the current barrier around the lake. We are also to investigate the means that Orochimaru used to bypass the current barrier," declared the leader of the squad.

The Anbu nodded, shunshining away allowing them to continue. Ibiki returned to his thoughts, but was interrupted once again by the members of the barrier squad continuing on with their gossip amongst themselves, much to his frustration.

"I heard that the Forbidden Lake is a base for top secret experimentation," murmured one man, as he brushed his shaggy bown bangs out of his eyes as his companions gave him a serious look.

"Well, It wouldn't be the first. It _**is**_ a top secret location. That would explain why Orochimaru came himself to the lake." Said another as the youngest of their group hummed in agreement and nodded.

"Senpai is usually the one sent to take care of the barrier, so this will be the first time that I've seen it.," said the youth as his comrades looked to one another before continuing to talk quietly.

"Well, you'll be seeing it soon enough. We should be getting pretty close," assured the team captain before the men nodded and continued their pointless chatter.

Ibiki sighed in mild relief and exasperation, glad that they didn't actually have full clearance to the topic. Knowing how the barrier squad liked to gossip, it wouldn't have been wise to tell them half of what was going on inside the base. The group stopped short when they realized that through the dark trees before them, a barrier was beginning to glow.

"Crap, that must be it," muttered one of the barrier team before the men sprang into action preparing their scrolls.

Ibiki disregarded them, running directly toward the barrier until he came to a stop before it, his eyes narrowing instead as he observed the fluctuating barrier before him. He swiftly performed the sequence coded needed and bypassed the barrier. Moving swiftly toward the glowing lake, examining in the Anbu that milled around the edge of the glowing water.

Reaching the small research building that was stationed on the edge of the lake, Ibiki stopped in front of the door joining in with all the other eyes that were directed toward the large shadow that was slowly rising from the center of the lake. A minute later an alien looking silver container of sorts appeared, looking like a horseless carriage, only this had windows and a large gaping hole in the front, where a window used to be, judging by the glass still clinging stubbornly to the edges. The sound of coughing and hacking filled the air as water poured out of the odd contraption. A young bedraggled brunette woman was sitting upright in a seat, before she slumped forward, her harsh breaths filling the air, shudders running through her every now and then.

As the light began to dim from the glowing waters, the head Anbu motioned that it was safe and the teams immediately set out over the water to retrieve the brunette from her odd looking carriage. The door behind Ibiki opened and a young medical ninja quickly came out of it, letting the door bang shut, in his rush to get across the lake to the odd carriage and the Anbu milling around the silent young woman. Ibiki's eyes narrowed in curiosity as he heard the young woman's ragged breathing catch as she finally registered the people surrounding her vehicle.

The young medic yelled at the Anbu to get out of his way so he could see his patient and they reluctantly parted for him. Finally making it to the edge of the circle he stepped forward and in a soothing voice tried to coax her to come out. "Don't be afraid Miss. My name is Hanataro. I'm a medic. These people are just here to protect you. We need to look at you to make sure that you're alright, ok?"During his talk he had carefully crept forward and opened her car door as he finished.

Ibiki took in the tensing of her shoulders and the way her eyes darted around, confusion and wariness clear in their depths, while her face remained blank. **"Where am I?"** she demanded in English, making no move to leave the car.

The medic halted, blinking at her in mild surprise from the steel he had heard in her voice. Her eyes bore mercilessly into his and he had to hold back the urge to swallow uneasily. At least they knew what language she knew how to speak. Changing tracks quickly, the medic began to speak in English back to her, **"Well, you had an accident miss-"**

**"Yes. In fact, I should probably be dead. But that doesn't change the fact that I want to know where I am,**" she said calmly as her eyes carefully took stock of the people around her, her eyes lingering on Ibiki for a moment before returning to the young uncertain medic before her.

**"Ah, please miss-"** Ibiki snorted and moved toward the door of the research building that was behind him, feeling amused at the poor medic's plight.

He was sure that the young man was going to have one hell of a time trying to explain to the brunette that she was in an entirely different dimension with no hope of getting back home. Missing a beat in his step Ibiki speculated on the new thought that just hit him, _Perhaps it's for the knowledge that the people possess_. Falling easily back into his rhythm as if he never faltered, Ibiki ran with the thought, for it would definitely explain Orochimaru's sudden interest in the forbidden lake.

It was true that even though it had been difficult, the Hidden Leaf had gained at least three full languages that were used as code by Anbu, both spoken and written, one of the main codes being English, which was what the young woman had been speaking in. Ibiki's thoughts trailed back to the days he had been forced to learn the odd language, before rubbing his forehead and giving a tired sigh. No, that couldn't be it. From the brief report, Orochimaru had taken a young woman, a boy and the boy's mother, killing two other subjects that had come from the lake and taking no documents with him, making it highly unlikely that that was the man's objective. _Perhaps the rest of the detailed reports would help, _with that thought he moved into the building, looking for the director of the facility.

Ibiki found the man with ease a few seconds later, as the facility wasn't that huge, and now he sat in a small chair in front of the older man with a frown on his face. The man in front of him, known only as the Director, had short cut black hair with speckles of grey throughout and a long narrow nose with a pair of black rimmed glasses perched at the top. His face was long and came to a point at his chin, but at the moment was haggard with the stress the week had brought. Giving a sigh of weariness his grey eyes met Ibiki's stare head on and began his report, something Ibiki had to respect the man for, since the Director didn't flinch or cower at his intimidating stare.

"The barrier was breached without detection at 23 hundred hours, give or take thirty minutes. We later found several patrol members dead, mostly having their heads severed. We weren't made aware of their presence however until another young woman had come out of the lake. By then, they decided to act, reaching her before we could get to her, with the other two subjects in tow, the mother and her child," said the graying man.

"The mother and her son?" asked Ibiki with a frown.

The Director nodded grimly, face drawn. "Yes. They killed two other subjects."

"You mean two subjects that had come out of the lake previously?" Ask the head of the T and I with a frown. If the man would just stop calling the people 'subjects,' they could probably get through this conversation a bit faster. The Director nodded, lips tightening, though sadness could still be seen in his eyes.

"Yes, an older man and a teen boy." Ibiki frowned deeply as the man continued speaking.

"They were killed on the enemy's way out of the building, so we're not sure if it was subjects in general they wanted for experimentation or if it was specific to the three that were taken." The Director said with a grimace.

Ibiki hummed in thought, ever present scowl unchanging, "Any patters regarding the people that were taken?"

"Well, I suppose all of them where on the young side, and all had recently come out of the lake. The woman and her son had come out of the lake a couple of days before the attack, and the other subject they took had just come through. None of them had begun treatments yet to prolong their life spans. Do you think there's a connection," asked the Director?

Ibiki's frown deepened slightly, "Of course. To what purpose though?" he murmured before sighing in frustration as he scanned the report in his hand. There seemed to be more questions than answers. "You say that there were six raiders in total?" Ibiki confirmed.

The Director nodded, "Yes. There were four main fighters, Orochimaru, and a young red haired female that didn't participate in the fighting, instead staying near the taken subjects."

"Interesting," Ibiki muttered before glancing up in curiosity as a large splash was heard outside, along with a wail of wind that hadn't been there before.

The Directors eyes narrowed and he lifted the blinds to the window, taking in a sharp breath at the scene unfolding in front of him. Ibiki's eyes widened slightly in surprise as well at the scene, before something happened that normally didn't around the Head of the Torture and Investigation Unit Leader, a quick deep chuckle left his mouth. "It's always so interesting to see what they do, isn't it Director?" said Ibiki, amusement clear in his voice as the Director's shoulders tensed.

"Not anymore. That's a bit on the new side though," said the graying man, his attention on the young woman who was currently struggling in the grip of two Anbu, with another standing in front of her wet and cringing in pain as he cupped his manhood. After all, it wasn't every day that one of the people in the lake had enough energy to fight back, much less actually catch one of the Anbu off guard enough to land a hit, especially to such a sensitive place.

"Hold her steady," snapped the young medic at the Anbu as the young woman continued to flail wildly, curses being snarled across the water. What made the Director and Ibiki frown however wasn't the fact that the young woman was struggling so violently; it was the fact that the water under the Anbu team was starting to roil and whirl, as the wind picking up.

"I better stop this before it goes too far. Excuse me," said the Director as he hastily left the office, Ibiki right on his heels.

"You seem to know what's going on?" asked Ibiki.

The Director looked over his shoulder, surprise showing on his face at Ibiki being so close without him having realized he had left after him, but it quickly cleared up as his mind finally comprehended the question asked.

"Yes. Since all subjects that come through the lake have no chakra to begin with, they have no elemental affinity, or I guess you could say they have a complete affinity for every element. Because of that, most can manipulate natural energy without meaning to when they first arrive, especially when they are upset or feel threatened. If I don't stop this soon, we'll have a storm on our hands, and the lake with its vast size will probably turn into a raging sea," his tone harsh and scientific as they exited the building, making their way rapidly across to the enormous lake.

**"Drop her,"** called the Director sharply.

The Anbu and medic paused to look at one another uncertainly as the choppy water continued to move sluggishly. **"But sir, she could injure herself."** Said one of the Anbu, making the young woman pause for a moment.

**"Just do it,"** the Director bit out, annoyed that his orders weren't followed immediately.

The Anbu looked at one another over her head before carefully lowering her into the water, not moving as she swam a ways away, regarding them all quietly with interest, and deep mistrust.

Ibiki smirked slightly to himself when he noticed the water beginning to calm, the winds no longer blowing as strongly. His gaze returned to the young bedraggled woman and he frowned slightly in concentration as he began to examining the young woman's attitude and reactions.

As the medic went to go after her to try and check on her, she swam away some more before coming to a stop again, after one of the Anbu stopped the young man and whispered something in his ear. Something about the way the Medic had acted seemed to have made her wary, suggesting a past trauma regarding a medic or a situation that was alike, form what Ibiki could gather in her reactions.

Managing to land a strike on an aware Anbu however, suggested past taijutsu training, and the way she was regarding the situation calmly suggested that she hadn't understood the gravity of her situation fully yet, though from the way the Director had spoken and from the Medics evasion to forward questions, Ibiki seemed to take the hint that they had no intention of being upfront with her. After all, she was already admitting signs that suggested that she was too smart for her own good, and not easy to control. The only way the Director could probably subdue her was with ignorance, and she probably understood that as well.

He could tell the Director was starting to become irritated with the whole situation as every time somebody tried to approach her she would just swim away, the built up stress of the week not helping matters for, it just made him more waspish than usual, and less likely to be able to talk with the young woman appropriately.

However, what Ibiki saw under that fierce threatening demeanor, that everybody else seemed to miss, was fear and lots of it. It made him want to hum in amusement. After all, he was a sadist, and there was no way he could be around such a character and not find himself amused. A pity really.

**"So, any particular reason you were so insistent on not leaving your car?"** the Director called, trying to keep his annoyance out of his tone as he addressed the young woman that was watching them all quietly and warily.

_A car?_ Ibiki regarded the odd contraption before returning his attention to the young woman.

**"I think I'm entitled to defending my personal space when it is invaded against my will**." She called over the calming waters as the Anbu stayed in place, not moving as they watched the conversation unfold. They knew from experience that any movements on their part would only serve to escalate the already tense situation.

"**We're just trying to help you," **said the Director, his tone firm, the annoyance starting to show through, along with his impatience.

The young woman's eyes narrowed as she scoffed and regarded him steely, clearly not please with the tone he had started to take with her.

"**Oh, and I suppose I should just be grateful for your… 'help?'" she asked, her tone sarcastic and incredulous.**

"**How arrogant**," she said as the Director's jaw began to bunch with growing anger,** "Help is doing what others want you to do, not what**_** you**_** want to do, which is what your men have been doing before. I was taught that as a small child. I would have thought that a man your age would have learned the difference by now. But I suppose having power at your disposal has made you forget that not everyone wants the same things you want. " **she said firmly, eyes flat and cold as she regarded the man with pursed lips.

The Director stiffened in outrage at her insolence at addressing him in such a fashion as Ibiki's eyebrows went up in incredulous delight. She had a sharp tongue on her, and clearly the Director was not amused. **"Watch your tone girl and come out of the water this instant," **he snapped as her eyes narrowed.

"**Fuck that shit. What do you take me for? A fool?! I can smell the bullshit from here!" **she snapped, before continuing more calmly.** "Where am I? Who are you? And what are you planning to do with me?"** she demanded crisply.

Ibiki couldn't contain the bark like laugh that burst from his lips at her daring and bluntness, his amusement only growing as he watched the Director begin to swell with anger. She was cheeky, the sassy little imp, but he could still tell she was using it to hide her fear. She may have been doing a good job in fooling the Director and everybody else, but not him. He could see that her hands were slightly shaking every time they broke the surface of the water to keep her afloat. He could also tell she was forcing her breathing to be steady and even, for once in a while she would falter and have to take a few quick breaths before setting back into a rhythm.

**"Bullshit huh?"** Ibiki called, her dark eyes turning to regard him calmly, a slight crooked smile playing upon her lips, hands still shaking.

**"Yeah. Utter bullshit. I want to know what's going on, whether you want to tell me or not."** She said, her voice clear as it carried across the water.

Ibiki grinned, a bit impressed with the way she seemed to calmly stand her ground and not let her fear drive her. It was because of this he decided to throw her a bone, **"Well, for starters, you've crossed into another world or dimension or whatever you call it."** Her eyes narrowed but she allowed him to keep speaking_**. **_**"Here, people have abilities that allow them to break the rules that actively govern your world, like physics and gravity,"** he said before quickly performing a water jutsu, aiming it into the air. A large powerful spout of water blasted forth making the young woman yelp in surprise as she stared at him with wide disturbed eyes before he stopped it**. "Is that enough proof for you?"** he called with a smirk as the young woman's eyes slowly slid shut, shock still easily seen on her face as it slowly dawned on her that she was in no position to be demanding answers. Hopefully it would persuade her to come along quietly now and not fight them, for there was no way she could win.

It was quiet for a moment as the young woman continued to struggle to comprehend just what the hell was going on. But it wasn't quiet to Samira. Her heart sounded like thunder in her ears with how it pounded loudly away. _Holy shit, what the hell have I gotten myself into_? She thought to herself uneasily.

**"Will you come out of the water?"** Ibiki asked, starting to get fed up with her silence.

She almost flinched at his harsh tone, but hesitated, appearing to think, her dark brows pulling together in thought as her eyes met his. **"Well, I suppose you could just drag me out, since some of you can walk on frigging water, but you're not. Why? What do you want with me and how do you know so much about my world,"** she asked?

Ibiki's grin got wider as his satisfaction with her grew. She may be scared and struggling to calmly catalogue her situation, but she was holding her ground and trying to pump as much information as she could out of him. How amusing. **"I don't have to give you any answers you know. You're not entitled to any yet,"** he said scathingly as he grinned at her sadistically.

Her lips twitched slightly as if wanting to grin, though it turned out to be more of a grimace**. "True. There is always the possibility that the answers you give me would be false anyways,"** she said quietly as her eyes took in the appearances of those around her carefully.

Samira took in the matching uniforms and the subtle hand signs that where being used to communicate between the masked people. A code, she realized, finding that the more she looked at these people, the more they reminded her of a military.

**"Then why ask the questions anyways?"**

**"Sometimes, the answer you receive can tell you more about a person than the version of the truth they choose to impart."** He smirked at her wise wordplay.

**"So what version do you want? The easy truth? The harsh cruel truth? Or a truth that's in-between?"** The man called, curious as to what her answer would be. He was finding her reactions a pleasant change from the norm and was interested to see what she would say next.

She frowned at him slightly, her expression contemplative as she took a deep breath to calm herself. **"All of them."** She called.

**"Why?"**

**"To see how much they vary."** Ibiki had to hold back another chuckle. He definitely liked this young woman's nerve. Trying to coax reactions out of her would be so fun. If only the Hokage would let him take a crack at her. He wanted to see what made her tick. **"Alright. Come out of the water so I can tell you on the way. I have to get you back to the village as quickly as possible,"** he called.

Taking a deep calming breath, she began to swim to the edge of the lake, eyes still trained warily on the people closest to her. The Anbu, seeing her swim toward shore, began to work around the car. A moment later the car along with all the items in it disappeared in a flash of smoke as an Anbu sealed it into a scroll before giving it to another which hurried off with it. After a moment the young woman emerged from the water and the medic hurried forward, this time all business, no longer trying to act soothing as he began to work on healing her as the Director came over to speak with the scarred head of the T and I division.

"Please don't be too harsh with her. As irritating as she is… and impudent," the Director said with a slight scowl, before his face relaxed somewhat, but still showed small lines of distaste around his mouth. "I know what you are thinking; about telling her everything Ibiki-san, but do know that her first change and seizures will be occurring within the first few weeks and the more stressed she is, the faster her life will end. Just keep that in mind, whatever you decide. We need the subject in the long run." he suggested in a no nonsense tone of voice, making sure it was low enough that only him and Ibiki would hear. Ibiki found his brow furrowing again.

"Why do you call them subjects, instead of people, Director?" he asked quietly, having an idea but wanting to know what the director would say. The man sighed, a certain detached coldness coming to his face as he glanced at the tall scarred man beside him.

"Because that's what they are. Subject to be tested on, nothing more." He said calmly as Ibiki felt unease rising up in him though he didn't let it show. Instead he shot the man a slight smirk that made the scars on his face pull and pucker slightly at the strain.

"Oh is that so Director? I thought they were people?" he asked almost mockingly as the director shot him a withering glance.

"I don't consider the walking dead much of anything," he retorted sharply. Ibiki barked a laugh as a wicked gleam came to his eyes.

"You do realize that you just said that to a shinobi, right? And that most of your underlings are shinobi. All shinobi are walking dead," said Ibiki with a slight shrug, "After all, our time if anything is usually cut short mor often than not."

The doctor almost flinched before realizing that Ibiki was trying to screw with his head. If that is the case then I will meet him head on, thought the Director with a grim look.

"Why do you think that you are called shinobi?" he asked, "the fact that you are the walking dead is implied in the name. after all, there is only so much one can endure, and endure a shinobi must until they finally succumb to deaths call." He murmured quietly as Ibiki's face grew grim.

"Do you call them 'subjects' to dehumanize them?" he inquired as the Director shot the man an un-amused look.

"Obviously. It makes thing easier if you don't think of them as people."

Right after the Director had finished speaking, an Anbu landed in front of the two men to report on the Barrier Team. "The Barrier Team is still trying to figure out what went wrong with the barrier. They said to tell you that they would probably be here for several more days," The Director nodded and the Anbu vanished in a swirl of dust as if he had never been there.

Just as quickly another one took his place presenting a large scroll to Ibiki as he reported, "The items have all been sealed here as asked Ibiki-sama, Director-sama," Ibiki took the scroll from her with a nod as the medic finished patching up the young woman.

**…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,…,,…,…,.,.,.,.,.,…,….,,,,….,,,,….,,,,…..,,,,….,,,,….,,,,….,,,,….,,,,…,,,….,,,.**

Samira kept a sharp eye on the young medic that was patching her up, mind churning rapidly as she struggled to keep calm and in control of the situation though she knew that she had none. It was unnerving, to know that she was at these people's mercy, and from what she could gather of the situation, they weren't going to be giving her much of a say regarding her current situation. She could keep a level head however and gather as much information as possible out of this situation she found herself in, so she could play an active part in her fate, even if it meant escaping them.

**"There,"** said the young grey haired medic, appearing satisfied before grabbing a medium branch off the ground. She took a few wary steps back and he raised his hands in a placating gesture. **"I'm just going to get the water out of your hair. See?"** he said holding the branch out over the water. Samira's eyebrows went up in surprise when the water moved away from the wood as if repelled. **"Does all water react that way here?"** she asked watching with fascination as he dripped the branch into the water only for it to come out dry.

**"No just the water at the Lake. For some reason, the water here is repelled by anything to do with plants or trees. See, your cloths and skin aren't even wet, are they?"** he said making her blink in surprise as she regarded the indeed dry clothing.

**"How odd,"** she murmured in surprise.

It appeared the medic's attempts to distract her from the current situation where working**. "Indeed. Here, I'll let you do it,"** he said as he handed her the branch.

Samira nodded hesitantly as she grabbed the branch. She handled it awkwardly but managed to get her short curly hair dry easily, handing the branch back to the medic. A sparkle came into his eye as he grinned. **"Hey, want to see something cool?"** he asked.

The young woman nodded hesitantly. Grinning behind his glasses the young medic threw the branch into the Lake. She blinked in surprise when it immediately sank without a ripple into the waters depths.

**"What happened?"** she asked as she hesitantly threw in a twig. It sank faster than a stone making her frown.

The medic chuckled**. "The water's properties, remember? A branch can't float on top of water it can't touch and the pressure of the water on top of it makes it sink quickly, since the water is repelled by wood, not the other way around," ** he said as the young woman regarded the Lake with interest.

**"Are you ready?"** Samira jumped at the sudden voice beside her to find that it was the tall scarred man wearing the large black trench coat and grey uniform underneath with dark boots and gloves.

Samira nodded, staring back solidly, making the man's mouth twitch into a rugged grin. Without further warning he swept her up into his arms, making her gasp and flounder for balance. His eyes still trained on her form he crouched. And then they were soaring through the air. A terrified scream broke past her lips as her eyes widened and she clung to him desperately as she took in the incoming branches and trees.

The Director began to curse quietly in his head at the sadistic man as the medic and the remaining Anbu grimaced. It looked like even the young woman wasn't going to be exempt from Ibiki's sadistic pleasures, even if it would stress her out.

He landed easily on a limb as she gasped and shuddered before beginning to struggle madly in a desperate attempt to get away from the one responsible for the uncomfortable experience.

Ibiki let her struggle for a moment before his deep voice rumbled forth, **"Quit squirming or I just might drop you,"** causing her movements to still into a tense silence as she regarded him with terrified eyes.

Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, the man's ominous looming presence not helping to calm her nerves. His knees bent again and she tensed, eyes widening to watch as they went sailing through the air once more, a strangled scream catching in her throat, unable to make in out as they landed on another branch.

**"Are you going to do that every time?"** asked the scarred rugged man with a straight face, referring to her screams of surprise, his tone bored, almost mocking.

She looked up at him with dark eyes, the pupils almost completely dilated as she struggled to control her breathing and shaking, since the adrenaline had hit her system once more. Her eyes narrowed slightly when she realized that she could see a twinkle of amusement in his dark unreadable eyes, a slight twitch the only indication that he wished to smirk at her misfortune.

The young woman took a deep breath as her grip on his jacket tightened a bit more before she returned his dark gaze challengingly, **"I don't know, can you manage to jump smoother or should I be worried about you falling like a fool?"** her voice calm despite the hardness in her eyes and the shake in her hands.

The man just smirked slightly, knees already bending before he took off once more, this time not stopping from branch to branch, instead leaping swiftly from one to another. She forced herself to keep from flinching, eyes sliding shut when she realized it was the only way to keep herself from screaming every time they jumped. Minutes passed and grew longer, the silence between them only broken by the calming rustle of the leaves as a crisp wind flited through them, making the young woman unthinkingly draw herself closer to the large man's hold, shivering slightly from the crispness in the air.

Ibiki shot a curious glance at her to find that her attention was no longer directed at him, her eyes now shut as she listened to the world around her, hearing the call of the birds and animals of the forest as they made their way swiftly past in the dim of the night. The sun had fallen long ago. Unthinkingly he tightened his grip, shifting her closer since her relaxed form was harder to grasp than the stiff coiled mass of nerves she had been before.

An hour had passed by the time she finally spoke, her voice soft and strained with exhaustion. **"So… I really am in a different World?" **

Ibiki chuckled as he easily leaped over another limb and onto another**. "I suppose now would be as good time as any to tell you about this world,"** he stated, making Samira regard him with a grimace.

She was tired, and already reeling from the impossibility of the situation that she was being faced with. It would figure that the scarred man would want to add more to her full plate of problems. Samira heard him chuckle quietly at her exasperated expression and she sighed in resignation. She had a feeling he was enjoying this situation a little too much, the sadistic bastard.

**…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,…,,…,…,.,.,.,.,.,…,….,,,,….,,,,….,,,,…..,,,,….,,,,….,,,,….,,,,….,,,,…,,,….,,,.**

"Kabuto," called the Director.

"Yes sir?" called the young grey haired medic as he straightened his glasses.

"You have some reports to finish up. Get back over here," called the Director as Kabuto hurried to obey.

"Yes sir. Right away," said Kabuto as he hurried across the water with a slight smirk. Lord Orochimaru might want to know about this.

…

**AN: HUZZAH! Chapter one done and revised! I would like to thank everyone who has favorite and begun following, Unlikely Love! Please leave a review and comment for the author and editor!**

**A Special shout out for my Partner in crime, DragonSlayer2187. She has helped me with some heavy editing and revision of the chapter for everyone's pleasure, so please thank her everyone! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Unlikely Love**

**AN****: HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! Just saying. :) Anyways, thank you for all the reviews and the followers! I really appreciate you so much!**

**Special shout out for:**

**DragonSlayer2187**

**Anonymous**

**Thank you for the reviews! They are greatly appreciated. **

**We already have one vote for lemons in this story. Let's see if we can reach a hundred votes for it, hmm? *Evil laughter.* MOVING ON!**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters, only my own OCs. Thank you.**

**Warnings: Language, Adult situation, very mild gore**

"Speaking Japanese"

_Thoughts_

"... blah... blah ..." (Missing words are not understood words.)

"Parenthesized (words) are in Japanese but include for readers benefit to understand"

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**Ch. 2 A Dangerous New World**

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The guards standing at the secret side entrance into the Village of the Hidden Leaf shifted nervously in their spots. It was almost as if they could feel the new presence that had entered the world and was now fast approaching them. It set their nerves on edge, which heightened when a flash of lightning lighted up the sky followed by the low rumble of thunder. Anyone with a good nose could smell the moisture about to fall down onto the people below, it was only a matter of time.

A couple of miles due south west of the Konoha gates a young woman named Semira, was flinching and squirming in the hold of a large man with scars on his face wearing a black trench coat, the uniform underneath a grey color with a plain black belt at the waist. Open toed black sandals were on his feet, a large black bandanna covered his head, and on the front of that bandanna was a silver metal plate with a weird leaf design etched into it. At the moment he held her bridal style and was jumping from one large tree branch to another at an inhuman speed, her wild brown curls whipping into her face and around her shoulders. She had to squint her chocolate brown eyes against the wind and moisture, which was slowly gathering in the air around them, to even try and make out where they were going.

"Would you stop that?" he snapped. A bolt of lightning briefly lit up the sky followed by the booming sound of thunder, which made her jolt and cling to his already sore neck tighter.

Samira shot him a slight glare before wincing as another lightning bolt flashed. "I don't like thunderstorms, so deal with it," she snapped back irritably.

The scarred man just snorted, his grip on her tightening slightly, and then without any warning to her he left the safety of the branches in a stomach dropping drop, making Samira give a small scream, before safely landing on the ground below. Letting her slide off his back, Samira had to throw out her hand at the nearest tree to steady herself as her legs shook like jelly and felt like they would give out on her at any minute. Standing there trying to stop her heart from leaping out of her chest she began to hear the sound of water hitting leaves and groaned in frustration at their luck. Samira knew it would only be a matter of time before the leaves couldn't hold up against the steady rain and douse them in water. She did not cherish the thought of being wet on top of cold at all.

Lost in her thoughts Samira gave a small jump in surprise when something heavy and warm landed on her shoulders and hug her back. Glancing over her shoulder she saw a large scarred hand moving away from her and followed it up to the scarred man that she had been carried by since the lake. Realizing that he was no longer wearing his black trench coat, she peered down at her shoulder to see that he had draped it over her own shoulders. Giving a small smile she shrugged into the much to long sleeves and muttered a quiet, "Thanks."

Instead of the custom 'you're welcome' he had moved in front of her again and grumbled out as he kneeled down with his back facing her, "Quick, before I get soaked," Samira wasted no time as she quickly climbed back onto his back, before he took off once more through the dark woods.

It was pouring rain by the time she was able to spot some dim lights in the distance. It must have been significant to the scarred man, for he picked up his pace, making her cling tighter to stay on. Her brown eyes widened slowly as they drew closer and suddenly huge gates appeared out of nowhere them, when a bright flash of lightening lit the area. Sucking in a gasp at the impressive structure she heard her neck crack as she tried to crane her neck back enough, so she might be able to get a glimpse of the top of the large shadowy structure drawing closer.

Samira's inspection was short though when the man beneath her growled out, "Cut that out. You're getting me wet," scowling slightly at the back of his bandana covered head, as she grudgingly complied, making sure the hood to his trench coat covered his head as well.

Seeing that he was once again being shielded by the rain, Samira returned her eyes to the now closer to the huge gate. Now that they were almost there she could see they were dimly lit by some type of lighting at the bottom and very top, where she could just barely make out shadow figures moving around. Just when she thought they were about to crash into the huge doors a small side door slide open on the left side. Warm yellow light spilled out of the open door and a figure soon was outlined in the frame of the door, before he stepped out into the rain and headed towards them.

Feeling uncertainty creep into her mind, Samira felt her whole body tense up, but the scarred man beneath her didn't seem bothered at all as he headed for the man, slowing down as he did, until he was at a walk by the time they reached each other. As soon as they were within speaking distance the two men began talking in rapid fire Japanese and Samira felt a big ball of dread form in her stomach as she could only pick out a few words here and there. The thing that made her even more uneasy was that even though she knew Japanese and this seemed to be a different form then what she had learned, driving home the fact that she really was in a different world and she had no clue how similar or different this other 'World' was.

She found herself sighing in mild frustration at not being able to talk for herself anymore, because of the language barrier. Samira hated not being able to talk for herself. That is why she was a firm believer in learning the language of a country you were going to go visit. As she listened more closely to what they were saying, she didn't think it would take her very long to pick up this slightly different version of Japanese, especially since she could pick out some of the words already. Hopefully she would be able to piece it all together if she listened in to their conversation.

"Woman…rain…dark/cloudy…no way…but…bastard…shit…ANBU…I…Fire Shadow…this…good luck." Samira tuned out after that, for there was no way she could even remotely piece that together and get anything she would understand. Sulking she thought, _this is going to be harder than I thought._

The two men conversed for a few minutes more, while Samira kept staring at the door the light was streaming though, wondering when they were going to get out of this rain. Finally the man that had greeted them gestured for the scarred man to go through the door and Samira gave a sigh of relief as the passed the frame and entered the warm golden light.

Momentarily blinded after being out in the dark for so long, Samira had to squint her eyes as they tried to adjust to the light. However before they even got close they went through another door and were once again surrounded by darkness, with an occasional light along the road they were traveling on. In fact she felt some nostalgia creep up on her when she recognized the lights to be a type of street light and with the buildings so close together it defiantly felt like the city she came from in her world. If only it had been day and she was able to get a closer look at the buildings they were passing she would not have been having these thoughts, as it was very much different from her world. For now with the darkness hiding the differences and creating the illusion of familiarity it was very disorientating to her to feel so at home with a place she knew to be completely foreign.

Her transportation, _I really need to learn his name,_ she thought as they stopped for a second in the street, before taking a right onto a smaller street, was still running at top speed through what she learned to be a maze. The rain if possible was coming down harder, drenching both of them as he ran. The leather trench coat could not protect the both of them, especially since the wind had decided to pick up as well. A flash of lighting lit up the thick, dark, mountainous clouds over the village and thunder boomed as soon as the light disappeared. If Samira had to hazard a guess the main part of the storm was now over the top of them.

She had tried to keep track of all the twist and turns they were taking through this village, but after about the sixth turn she gave up and laid her head wearily against his back. Samira could feel her body start to shut down from exhaustion. She was trying to stay awake, but after nearly drowning, finding herself surrounded by strange people, being told she is in another world, and then whisked off by a man she didn't know to an unknown location fatigue was defiantly starting to take its toll. It didn't help that he was warm and she found herself hunching into him as the tiredness of her body and warmth from him took away the tension from her muscles.

Slowly her eyes slide shut and for a while her mind sort of floated in that half-asleep half-awake state. Her mind in this state came up with many interesting questions, such as, _why would I need to remember where I am? Where is it I am going to go? _Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew the answers, but she was just too tired to care anymore. In fact the more she contemplated these questions the more ridiculous it seemed to her. There was no way she would be able to recognize anything after traveling in the dead of night and at the speed they were going. Besides these people had been nice to her so far… well, alright perhaps not nice per say, but at least not hostile. Without realizing it, Samira began to listen to the man's breathing and let her body sway easily with his in the steady soothing lope. She frowned slightly as her eyes began to drift shut; hazily remembering she really didn't like the man carrying her, but sleep was beckoning and the fog that was sliding over her shut it out of her mind as she finally answered its alluring call.

Samira jolted awake when the hood was suddenly pulled roughly from her head, her first reaction to squint slightly as her bleary eyes struggled to adjust to the bright light of the room she was now in. Blinking in confusion and fatigue, it took her a moment for the sight of a plain room to come into focus, cabinets and a sterile sink meeting her sights before she was roughly set down on a plain standard mattress. The equipment in the room distinctly reminding her of that of a hospital's despite the difference of the instruments that lay carefully off to the side. She squinted up at the scarred man, trying to shot him a question glance with her eyes still squinted. He must have not got it for he completely ignored her. She frowned instead, returning her attention back to the room she was in, hoping to discover where they where and why they were here.

As her eyes scanned the room, the came to rest on the many assortment of silver instruments on a small tray to the side of the bed she was sat on. Her eyes widened as they took in an object she was very familiar with and there was no mistaking what its purpose was for. Said instrument was a long, thin metal needle, exactly like the ones used in her world. It was attached to a syringe that appeared to be made out of glass not plastic. This caused her some concern as she wondered if they reused their syringes instead of destroying them.

The sound of footsteps coming towards the closed door pulled her attention away from the instrument table and to the door. As they came closer her stomach started to tie itself in anxious knots and she began to wonder what was going to happen to her.

Finally the footsteps stopped right outside her door and she watched in dread as the door knob turned and the door opened revealing an older looking man about her height, which was five feet six inches. His hair was thick, but had that salt and pepper thing going on with it. His face though was young which really made him look younger than his hair let on. If she had to hazard a guess she would say his age was around forty or so. He first greeted the scarred man that had brought her here with an easy smile and small nod of his head, which the other man returned. It was when his brown eyes landed on her that she grew extremely tense and uneasy. His smile had widened into an almost manic grin and delighted fascination danced in his eyes.

The man, a doctor, she presumed from the white lab coat he wore spoke quietly to her scarred companion, his gaze eager as he began to ready some of his equipment, her dread and tension rising exponentially at the lack of communication towards her, and how the two men seemed to have no intention of filling her in on what was going on. This doctor wasn't asking for permission, her was getting ready to do whatever he wanted with an amount of gusto and lack of concern regarding her that had her nauseous. She swallowed tightly, mind racing, adrenaline making her heart race and her hands shake. _What where they planning on doing to me?_ All sorts of dreadful things came to mind, considering the fact that she shouldn't even exist in this world.

This lead down to another dangerous thought, _was she even protected under any of their laws? Was she even considered… human? _It's not like anyone would kick up a fuss if she was killed. It's not like she had family here, or a job or coworkers or a lover or even a legal identification, if they even had those in this world. She was a ghost, and just as easily unseen should anything happen to 'remove' her. Her earlier urge to flee was coming back, just as it had when that young medic from earlier had approached. She had never had a fear of medics before, and yet the instinct to flee was getting stronger the closer the man got to her with that needle, her instincts screaming.

"**Stop**," she commanded forcefully, finally no longer able to stand the closing distance between her and the medic.

The graying man blinked in surprise at her words before blinking a couple more times as his eyes began to regard her as if seeing her for the first time, the loss of excitement revealing intelligence and experience under the zeal. It was not a comforting notion. Slowly dawning comprehension and shame crossed the man's features before he smiled at her ruefully, quickly taking a seat by the instruments as he put the syringe down with the other instruments.

"**I'm very sorry Miss. It looks like I've gotten far ahead of myself. My greatest apologies. My name is Doctor Ryunosuke Okawa. I work here in the Konoha Hospital, or as your people may say, the village hidden in the leaves hospital. I am one of the lead researchers that looks after the research done on the people from your world**," he said with a warm smile.

Semira's blood however seemed to freeze in her veins at the doctors words, her eyes going wide as she stopped breathing. It was like her growing dread had just been confirmed, spat out from the doctor's mouth without a thought. Was she that powerless in their eyes? That she wouldn't be able to do anything even if they told her. It was a nauseating though. Research meant that they were experimenting. And experiments didn't always happen with willing subjects.

_But I can trick them. I can get away before they get me_, she thought to herself as she forced herself to think, struggling to keep her frozen face just that; frozen and unreadable. She forced herself to breathe once more, mind going into overdrive as she struggled to come up with a way to escape. She could see her scarred guard eying her from the corner of her eye as she forced herself to continue to breathe calmly. _Think, think_, she commanded herself as she struggled to slow her chaotic rapid thoughts as she tried to think of an escape route, thoughts jumping from escaping out the window to down the hall. To her frustration however, she knew that they weren't going to work, that her guard would probably get to her before she could get away.

_There's no way I can escape right now, under their noses. I have to play along, appear weak, get them to lower their guard, and then I need to make a break for it. Right now there is no prison or holding cells, nothing so secure that I cannot escape from, meaning my time to get away is the moment their guard drops. I can't wait to act until I'm in a holding cell though, which means that I need to watch all of them closely for the moment when they are about to transfer me, for that will be when they begin actively start to watch my movements… Shit. Ok, keep calm. Look tired_, she thought to herself her face crumpling with fatigue as she shot the doctor a weary smile.

**"Nice to meet you doctor. Sorry about that but as you can understand, this is a bit of a trying situation I'm in. Not that I'm the first to have gone through this, but still…" **she said before she sighing and rubbing her hands over her face, shoulders slumping, trying her best to make her exhaustion and emotional strain apparent to the men in the room.

It wasn't that the she had to act, after all she was just allowing them to see how tired she was with all that had occurred, hiding her fears and thoughts behind her weariness. The doctor's gaze turned sympathetic and he comfortingly pat her knee. Samira had to keep herself from showing her fear and tension at the simple gesture.

"Well, don't worry. This won't take a minute. I just need to draw some blood and then you can get some rest. A nurse will be coming in to show you to your room and to bring you some food." He said with a kind smile that she returned, hoping it made her seem genuine to the doctor and the head of the T and I.

"Alright Doctor." And with that she offered her arm.

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It was quiet in the dark hospital room that she was in as she pretended to sleep. Using this time to try and formulate a plan and listen for intruders. She had just eaten dinner and the rich food had been good but still odd tasting considering it was a completely different pallet compared to what she was used to. It had been an hour since then and the sounds in the hospital had completely stilled. Samira figured most of its occupants were asleep, especially since it was in the dead of the night. They had arrived pretty late as it was. She could still hear the sound of the rain gently pattering against the window of her room, which elicited a frustrated sigh from her. She was so tired, her body crying out, screaming for her to get rest. But she knew that she had to leave before it was too late.

Samira jolted awake at the sound of curtains being pulled back, eyes blinking and squinting at the sudden light, feeling confused. A nurse gave her a smile and said something she couldn't understand before leaving the room, shutting the door after her. Her eyes widened as gradual understanding hit her and she groaned in frustration as she sat up.

She had actually fallen asleep last night! _Idiot_, she cursed herself angrily in her head, upset that she hadn't taken the opportunity to run. Still fuming she flopped back on her bed, glaring angrily at the ceiling. _How could I? Ugh, damn it. But, you need to regain your strength, maybe even gather a couple of supplies before you leave_, she pepped talked to herself. Grudgingly she began to rub the sleep from her eyes, thinking of what she needed to get. Unknown to her she wasn't the only one starting out with a frustrating day.

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The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was having the same thoughts as Samira as he stared down his former teammate and friend, Danzo, who he had made into elders after being named Hokage. The discussion they were having was an old one and dealt with the Forbidden Lake and the people that came from it. In fact this particular discussion was on the young lady that they had retrieved last night and was now in the hospital getting treatment.

_It always comes down to this,_ he thought with bitter resentment towards his former teammates and friend. They always tried to push him into a corner on this subject and he always had to put his foot down and forbid them from taking any action. He had made a promise his predecessor, the second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, that things would stay as they were. However, today appeared to be different as they seemed to argue more against him, making his already thin patience strain to the breaking point.

"For the future of Konoha, we need more powerful Shinobi, Hiruzen. You know this. I don't see why you are so against this," complained Homura.

Hiruzen sighed tiredly, not liking where the conversation had been going. "That is true, but ordering a shinobi to seduce and impregnate the young woman is going too far, Homura. Besides, after she dies, the father will be left with a child on his hands that he has no love for. There's no telling what the final product would yield."

"Then put the child in my care. I'm positive that I could craft it into a powerful weapon for Konoh-" Sarutobi's fist struck the table before him making silence descend upon the room, its occupants wisely choosing to stay quiet in the face of the older man's anger.

Danzo's words had been the last straw. It was not often that Hiruzen took such a steely and cold stance on something, but this was a subject that he wasn't going to argue about any longer. His decision was already made, and he wasn't going to waste any more time on his counsel trying to talk him into something that he would never allow… ever again.

"There is no room for argument. As your Hokage, I order you to drop this subject, and if I catch any of you going behind my back on this matter…" he let the threat hang in the air before getting up with firm finality.

Nobody spoke in protest as he left the room. Rubbing his forehead, Hiruzen let out a sigh of frustration. He knew this would not be the end of it and he would have to keep a close eye on those three and this particular situation for a while, despite his decree and threat. _Yes, a long day indeed,_ he thought finally making it down the tower and onto the busy streets of Konoha.

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Two days had passed for Samira without too much excitement.

Her first day in the hospital had the doctor coming to see her for most of the day. He had done some tests on her and taken a blood and urine sample before he left. She did everything he asked of her with no arguing. She didn't want them to suspect her plans to make a break for it. That night after she was sure nobody was up and moving around she snuck around finding clothes and even managed to locate the kitchen getting a hold of a knife for protection. She noticed the scarred man had also left his black trench coat so after returning to her room, she had taken it along with her new shirt, pants, and knife, wrapped everything up into a nice roll, before putting it into a large clear plastic bag she had also procured from the kitchen, and hid it in her personal bathroom's toilet tank. Samira hoped nobody would think to look in there and find them, she then slipped back into bed to get a few hours of sleep.

The second day she found out that she really didn't need to smuggle a knife from the kitchen. In fact it was so easy she was still in shock about it all. Mid-afternoon Samira heard the agonized moans of a man echo down her hallway along with a lot of footsteps and shouting from medics and nurses. Wondering what all the commotion was she stuck her head out the door to be met with a grizzly sight. A gurney was passing her room with several medics milling around it trying to staunch the bleeding from several lacerations that covered his body. In fact there were still a few short daggers, throwing stars, and some type of long thin metal needles sticking out of his arms and legs.

Samira just stood there with her mouth opened in shock as they continued by her room, the man withering and moaning the whole way. The nurses and medics were speaking urgently to one another, while some struggled to hold the squirming man down. They were only a few steps past her door when the man successfully got one arm free and as he thrashed it around two throwing stars that were in that shoulder and hadn't found good enough purchase in his skin and muscle fell down to the ground with a clang. A nurse tried to grab his arm and in the process hit one of the short daggers that was lodged in his upper thigh. He gave a howl of pain and before anybody could stop him, he reached down and yanked it out of his skin. Before he could throw it the same nurse finally got a hold of his wrist, applying enough pressure for his fingers to go limp and drop the weapon with a clatter. Nobody seemed to pay attention to the lost weapons as they finally got his arm pinned down again and resumed their mad dash for what Samira could only assume was a surgery room.

Cautiously she scanned her surroundings to make sure nobody was coming and bent down to pick up the three bloody weapons off the floor. Carefully slipping back into her room she closing the door and made a beeline for the toilet. Stashing them away with her clothes and knife before replacing the lid quickly and getting into her bed as if she hadn't moved. She made it just in time too for the doctor was in her room five minutes later wanting to do some more tests.

It was that night she decided to make her escape.

She hadn't touched her dinner that night, fearing that there was sleeping power or drugs in the food or drink. She had noticed how drowsy she got after she ate at night, something that wasn't considered normal for her since at best she was mildly an insomniac. She flushed most of it down the toilet, only leaving a few grains of rice, and a couple of fried onions on her plate to make it more realistic that she had eaten. The juice she had done the same thing with. Pretending to fall asleep when she heard footsteps coming toward her door, she listened closely as her door was opened and the sound of silverware clinking against the plate as the person picked it up, soon the sound of the door closing and the footsteps fading away told her the person had left and wasn't planning on coming back soon.

She immediately got up and went to the bathroom, closing and locking the door. Taking out her stash, Samira started to clean the blood off the stars and dagger, only the more she looked at the small dagger she began to realize it was actually called a Kunai and the other two were throwing stars or Shuriken, something her lost friend, had told her about. Antonia, who had been obsessed with some ninja anime show had explained what they looked like to her enough times for her to recognize them. _Ninja tools,_ she thought with a slight frown. Seeing they were cleaned she slid a finger across the edge of one of the throwing stars only to hiss and bring her finger back. A nice clean line of blood began to weep from the cut on her finger, _definitely sharp. I will have to be careful if I have to use them,_ Samira thought.

She continued to frown down at the tools as her thoughts churned slowly. Ninja weapons. It had given her pause to see them, making her think hard over what she knew of the illusive Japanese warriors of old. They had been rumored to use magic, to know the future, to be able to take on ten men and win, to use kunai and throwing stars, to be able to walk on water, to become invisible or vanish from thin air, the list just went on and on regarding rumors of their powers. Samira frowned down at the weapon as she quickly stashed them back away in one of the trench coat's many pockets.

_Did this mean that perhaps, the scarred man was a ninja? It might explain his ability to travel so fast, and that those other people in masks could walk on water. Then there were the elemental abilities the man had displayed. Could anyone here do that? Those other people hadn't even reacted to his sudden display with the water, meaning that it probably was normal here. All the more reason to be cautious then._ Samira thought for she also knew that ninja were known for their lack of honor and their treachery_. All the more reason not to trust these people_, she figured. She sighed, her resolve hardening. It looked like she really had no choice now but to leave.

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It was midnight when Samira stuck her curly brunet head out of her room to check if the coast was clear. Not seeing any movement in the hallway and not hearing anybody or thing coming her way she slipped silently out of her room. She had changed into her new shirt and pants, but the trench coat she still had bundled up and tucked under her arm as she had decided to put it on once out into the night. Samira spotted the stairs and headed straight for them, all the while staying alert for anything out of place. She had almost made it to the stairs when she heard a sound to her left.

Freezing against the wall, right next to the opening to the stairs, she turned her head toward the area. A closed door met her brown eyes and she gave a silent sigh of relief as it was only a patient groaning in their sleep. Turning back to the stairs and taking a step toward them she heard a groan again, but this time it sounded like they were in pain. Halting mid-step Samira began to worry that if this patient became any louder it might alert the small amount of staff that was around and they would discover her missing sooner, taking away her time advantage. In the long run she would be caught and take her chances away of ever being able to escape again.

With this thought running through her mind she made a split second decision, silently entering the patient's room, she made sure to shut the door softly behind her before going over to the bed. If it was a simple case of nightmares Samira could get them to quiet down, but if it turned out that they needed more pain killers she would have to abort her escape plan and try another night.

Thankfully somebody had left the blinds open letting the light from the full moon shine directly into the room, giving her enough light to see by. The patient on the bed was outlined clearly and she was struck by his odd silver hair. It was wild, with disorderly spikes going in all different directions. After seeing the hair she thought she was dealing with an older person, but as her eyes shifted to his face she was greeted with a mid-twenties face, despite the jagged horizontal scar crossing over his left eye and his white bed sheet covering the bottom half of his face.

The man kept fidgeting, letting out moans every couple of seconds. _I'm not in the ICU unit am I_, she thought scanning the room for anything that would let her know where she was? Frowning at not seeing any of the machines you would usually see in an ICU unit, it left her still floundering on what area of the hospital she was in. While she was still examining the room she spotted what looked like a green flak jacket, metal plated navy blue gloves, blue thick soled sandals, navy blue long-sleeved shirt, navy blue pants, and a navy blue weapons pouch all folded and put on a couple of chairs, that was it.

Samira's inspection was cut off as the man rolled over onto his side, facing her. She felt her jaw drop and eyes widened, as the sheet was pulled away to reveal the most handsome face she had ever seen. The skin underneath was a pale with the beginnings of silver stubble on angular jaw and pointed chin. Samira felt like a deer caught in headlights as she continued to drink in the scene before her. It wasn't until he called out in a rough voice that she stopped her staring.

"R-Rin," he started to toss and turn reaching out a hand in front of him as if he was trying to grab onto somebody or telling them not to leave.

Before she knew what she was doing, Samira had reached out and took hold of his hand and sitting on the edge of his bed. He seemed to calm down some, but he was still restlessly moving back and forth and she could see his eyes roving beneath closed eyelids. She also noticed there was sweat starting to bead on his forehead. Wanting him to calm down more she started to smooth down his hair with her free hand and she watched in fascination as he stilled and slowly relaxed.

Satisfied that he was sufficiently calmed, she stopped touching his hair and stood up, her hand sliding from his. It was almost out when his grip suddenly tightened and his eyes snapped open. Samira froze when she found herself staring into mismatched eyes. One was a steel gray, while the other was a blood red with strange black markings in it. The one eye was very unnerving, but she noticed both were bleary and unfocused probably from medication and pain. Not a minute later they fluttered shut once more and a small groan of pain passed his lips. Samira stayed still trying to figure out what to do when his eyes flickered open for a few seconds and then closing again, his grip tightening to the point of pain.

Not wanting him to wake up fully she carefully sat herself back down on the bed and began to run her fingers through his hair like she had been doing. Once again his grip on her relaxed and he seemed to fall back asleep. Samira was completely at a loss of what to do as she studied him. He was still restless and his breathing was ragged, which showed he hadn't let sleep take him completely. It appeared that she couldn't just up and leave, as it proved he would raise a ruckus and more than likely she would be caught, but there was no way she could stay here. She was already losing precious time in her escape by being here in the first place.

She sighed softly, understanding that she would probably have to compromise. Leaning towards his ear gradually, so as not to wake him more, she began to whisper to the man, her voice soft and calming, knowing that it would comfort him with the way she spoke now, even if he didn't understand what she was saying. Her voice had always been able to do that before, and just as she suspected, his restless shifts between aware and unconscious began to slow, his body relaxing as she carefully, extracted her hand from his so that she could stroke his face gently as her other hand continued to gently comb through his hair soothingly. Finally, only the sound of his steady deep even breathing filled the still room and she unhurriedly shifted her weight off the mattress, continuing to gently pet his hair though she was deliberately easing away from him, her strokes becoming less frequent, before she had completely removed herself from the bed, breath held in anticipation to see if he would rouse. She breathed a silent sigh of relief when he continued to breathe deeply, before turning and tiptoeing out of the room . She needed to move swiftly if she didn't want to be discovered so soon.

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It was humid and crisp outside, the moisture hitting Samira as she exited the side hospital doors with a slight shiver, glad that she had 'borrowed' some real clothing from the hospital before leaving. She quickly darted to a fringe of trees before pausing to let her eyes adjust, trying to spot anything in the distance since she wasn't completely certain where the exit to the village was. Taking this time to unroll the trench coat and slip it over her arms and shoulders she kept her eyes trained on her surroundings. She adjusted it to make sure her hands were free and that the length was right after having used the Kunai to cut off the excess in the bathroom.

After a moment she sighed and continued along the tree line, thankful for the natural cover before she found herself on a wide dirt street lined with dark shops and houses, the only lights were those of the light poles, painting the quiet street in a dull orange-yellow glow. Glancing around and seeing nobody she moved quickly but steadily, her breath coming out in little puffs as she speed walked, eyes searching for any hint as to where she should go next.

Coming to a street junction, she paused looking around trying to figure out what to do. She finally chose the most lit out of the two streets, not wanting to find out what was on the other darker side of the village at this hour. Soon a few open establishments came into view, the sound of people talking and laughing meeting her ears as she drew closer to what appeared to be a bar of some kind. She began to speed up a little in her walk, not wanting to attract attention.

There were several bars on this street, each place open and serving on the crisp chilly night. Samira cursed quietly when a light drizzle started up, forcing her to take shelter under the awning of what looked to be an empty vending stand. Scowling slightly, as she warily watched a few drunks wander past. Thankfully, she was left alone. When the drizzle had stopped she continued on her way, keeping an eye out for puddles as she went, her shoes already slightly damp and covered in gritty soil on the soles and sides. She walked around a corner and nearly fell when she walked into someone, who wasn't as lucky and fell onto the damp ground with a yelp of surprise.

"S-sorry," Samira quickly apologized in Japanese as she tried to help the person to their feet.

The moment the man was on his feet, he seized her arm tightly, the smell of alcohol hitting Samira's nose as his teeth pulled back in anger, a yell leaving his throat, some of the words familiar, but most of them not, granted either way their meaning was crystal clear.

"Bitch! …Dumbass… Idiot…!" She shrank in his hold, fear making her eyes widen and adrenaline to shoot through her veins, hands shaking as she stuttered out another apology, trying to pull out of his grip.

This did little to make him loosen it, in fact his hold tightened to the point of pain and he began to shake it hard, making her panic begin to rise as she began to struggle wildly to get away all the while telling him to stop and let her go in Japanese.

"Oih! Let her go!" yelled a young voice to Samira's left side.

Whipping her head in the direction of the voice her vision landed on a dark clad kid rushing out of the shadows to kick her attacker in the shin, all the while yelling at the man. The man snarled, drunken eyes now focused on the kid.

"Akuma," the man hissed as he took a threatening step toward the kid who stiffened in fear but held his ground.

_Demon_, Samira translated in her head breathlessly, noticing as his grip on her had loosened slightly. The man began to yell at the boy, as he took another threatening step towards the kid who stiffened but took up a fighting stance. _He's going to hurt that kid, just because he's trying to defend me_, she thought with horror, her fear quickly being replaced with anger and protectiveness. No one messed with kids on her watch, much less over her.

Feeling braver and too mad to really care, she kicked the man in the shin, waiting until he cried out in pain and his grip loosened more before yanking. As soon as she was free she took a step back and raised her other foot kicking him in the balls. Not waiting to see if he had doubled over in pain, she spun around in a wild dash, only stopping long enough to seize the kid by the hand before tearing off into the night. They only made it to the end of the alleyway before she heard the drunk hurling curses at them, but by the way his voice kept fading he still hadn't moved from where they had left him.

"Hurry," Samira said breathlessly, as she pulled the kid along behind her, hearing him huff and puff as much as she was.

The kid suddenly took the lead and Samira found herself winding flawlessly through the dark alleys and shortcuts of the village as they made their way across it, coming out behind a rundown apartment complex. They stayed there in the dim for a moment as they struggled to catch their breath, little cloud forming from their breath in the cold.

"Thanks Lady," said the kid with a grin that she could still see in the dim lights.

She grinned back still breathing hard. "No, thank you very much. Thank you," she said between pants before touching her arm and cringing. The man had definitely left a large bruise.

The boy frowned in concern, "Are you alright?"

Shrugging as she struggled to think of something to say with her limited Japanese. Hopefully so, she could adjust to the difference of this new Japanese. "Yes. Are you alright?"

The kid grinned widely puffing up in pride, "Yes! …not… Uzumaki Naruto, 'ttebayo!" the kid shouted excitedly, leaving the young woman to blink in confusion as she tried to figure out what he had said.

That had sounded like a name, but she wasn't sure. "Uzumaki Naruto?" she said slowly, still a bit confused.

The kid suddenly stilled, looking at her with uncertain eyes, his whole demeanor changing with what she believed to be his name, as if he was watching for her reaction. She tilted her head in confusion not understanding why he suddenly looked so guarded, but wanting to put him at ease.

"Thank you Naruto-kun," she said with a warm smile.

The boy blinked in surprise before his cheeks darkened slightly with a blush as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "No, it was nothing," making the young woman grin at his sudden shyness.

After a moment she began to frown as she regarded the boy standing before her, her mind no longer clouded with fear and the urge to run away. He immediately began to fidget under her gaze. "Why you out late? Dangerous," chiding him gently, her face concerned.

He blinked in surprise before starting to stutter out a reply. She frowned in confusion before stopping him. "I don't understand, sorry."

"You… not understand language?" Clearly confused on how somebody didn't know the language in his village.

She nodded sheepishly, "Small understand. Sorry."

The boy began to frown deeper, looking deep in thought as he raised his head and asked in a soft voice, "Home?"

Samira struggled to keep her pain from showing in her eyes without much success, a pained grin breaking across her lip, as she shook her head and spoke in a saddened whisper, "No home. Far, Far."

The kid regarded her for a moment, eyes grave, "You … home here?"

Struggling to understand what he asked, but believing he had asked her if she had a home here, Samira shook her head in the negative while also verbally clarifying, "No home."

The boy nodded resolutely before taking her hand, "I have … home. You stay … me," as he began to pull her behind him as they weaved through the streets again.

Samira let him as a frown took over her features, trying to puzzle out what the kid had just said. _Did he say stay with him?_ Stopping cold at that thought, the boy had no choice but to stop as well, since she did weight quite a bit more than him. Meeting his questioning glance at her, Samira asked a very important question, "But, your Mother and Father?"

He grinned wider, but it didn't reach his bright blue eyes, which she could see clearly underneath the street lights, for they were covered in pain and sorrow as he answered her, "No Mother or Father." He then turned around and began to lead them once more through the twisting streets.

Her shock at the revelation kept her silent and numb, allowing him to lead her to wherever. They soon came out behind an even more dilapidated apartment building, the boy having her follow him up the steps to the top where he opened the last door at the end to reveal a little apartment.

Samira looked around in curiosity as she slipped her soggy shoes off at the entrance along with the boy who had shouted a boisterous greeting to the empty apartment before going inside. Leaving her to shut and lock the door behind them the boy continued to rummage around in the apartment as the young woman stayed by her place beside the door, uncertain how to proceed. The place was pitch black until the boy finally flipped on some lights, showing her the messy interior and the ramen cups lying around everywhere.

Naruto quickly came back into the room to take her hand, leading her though the apartment as he explained what things or rooms where in his language. She would then repeat them back to him carefully as he grinned and nodded or corrected her words.

When they got to his room, he began to speak in rapid Japanese and all she could do was shoot him confused looks as he pulled out a futon from the small closet. Laying it on the floor in front of the closet he disappeared for a few moments, only to reappear with his arms full of blankets and an extra pillow.

Understanding what he was doing now she began to look around for a place to put her futon, cringing as she took in the filth and trash covered floor. Seeing her plight, the boy dumped the blankets and pillow on top of the rolled up futon and ran out of the room. He came back a few seconds later with a broom and dustpan, quickly clearing a spot on the floor for her to put it.

Trying not to cringe at the garbage and dust the boy was just moving around, her resolve flew out the window when she saw a bug scuttle across the floor and out the room. This prompted her into action as she found a small garbage can in the corner and started to pick up the empty Ramen cups and other larger pieces.

"You don't have to … miss," the boy protested when he saw her helping him.

Grinning at him she waved him off, "It's alright," putting the last of the garbage in the bag trying not to cringe when she saw some of the food residue on the floor.

It wasn't long until the can was filled between the both of them dumping the unwanted dust and trash. Once that was all cleaned up she shot him a questioning look, miming mopping. After a minute of miming and giving as much hints as she could with her limited vocabulary, the boy finally realized what she was asking for and quickly floundered to get her what she wanted. Soon the floor was sparkling clean, the two of them sitting on the bed as the floor around them dried.

"Ah, sorry," said the boy, looking sheepish.

The young woman shot him a grin as she winked at him, the boy quickly responding with a grin of his own, drawing the young woman's attention to his cheeks, her expression becoming curious. She stroked one of the whisker marks going across the boy's face making him blush sheepishly at her, looking a bit uncertain.

After a moment she shot him a grin before pinching both his cheeks gently, "Cute," she said with a grin, making the boy blush deeply scoffing at the idea of being called cute.

After a moment though, he grinned back, making her chuckle, letting her eyes slide shut sleepily as she rested against the wall behind her. They sat there in companionable silence for a while, the gently patter of drizzle on the apartment roof all that filled the quiet space.

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It was early morning, the sun already climbing into the sky. The village was quiet, the market bustling as vendors shook water from the night's storm off their tarps and began to get ready for the new day. On the other side of town, in the more run down section there was a man making his way swiftly towards one of the top apartments. Soon there was a loud knock on the front of a rundown apartment door, followed by the sound of the man yelling.

In the apartment a moment later, Samira sat up ramrod straight in the small bed that was pushed into the corner of the room, a blonde boy with whisker marks still sound asleep beside her. She blinked blearily in the early morning light as she took in the unfamiliar room around her, her eyes finally landing on the sleeping boy beside her. She blinked in surprise as she began to remember yesterday's events, before realizing that they had both fallen asleep listening to the rain as they had waited for the floor to dry. The knock came again, this time louder, the voice on the other side making her look up in fear. Had the people from the hospital found her so soon?!

"Naruto," a man yelled!

Samira froze when she heard a key entering the lock on the door and without another thought she dove into the closet, taking the futon that was still on the boy's mattress with her, effectively covering herself with it messily, leaving the slightest crack in the doors that she could see out without being seen. Soon the sound of footsteps where heard in the hallway and she watched with bated breath, torn as to what she should do. _What if this person was here to hurt the Naruto? Should I reveal my presence? _

A moment later a man walked into the room and Samira's jaw dropped before she had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing. The man looked like he had been rolled through a craft store while covered in glue. Feathers of every shape, size, and color covered him and what wasn't covered by feathers had multiple colors of paint and glitter. His hair stuck up every which way and also hadn't escaped the barrage, his face had a thunderous expression on it, but when he saw the deeply asleep boy on the futon he froze and his expression turned to one of affection and concern.

"Naruto?" the man called again, this time more softly, reaching out to shake the boys shoulder.

Samira could feel herself relaxing, knowing that despite the man's giggle inducing appearance and initial anger, he wouldn't harm the boy.

"Teacher?" asked the boy sleepily before looking around the room to find no other presence before his gaze fell upon the man before him.

The boy began to chuckle and the man's scowl returned though it was tempered by concern. "Naruto, ?" asked the man as Samira frowned, unable to understand what he was asking.

The boy blinked before refusing to meet the man's eyes. " Sore wa dō iu kotodesu ka? Sensei?" the man's lips tightened but he only sighed tiredly, not pushing the matter as the boy pursed his lips and refused to look at his teacher.

Finally the teacher relented and stood at his full height. "Well, come on. You've … school and you're … clean up what you … classroom before class starts." Samira struggled to understand the full meaning of what he was saying by adding the broken bits and pieces together.

Naruto sighed dramatically as he shrugged out of the bed. "Yeah yeah, … me … dressed. I'll see you in a bit."

The teacher's eye twitched before starting to leave with a sigh, shooting the boy a warning glance over his shoulder as he went. "You … that classroom … six am … Naruto," said the man before taking his leave.

When Naruto had locked the door behind the man, he went back to his room with a frown, wondering where the woman from the day before had gone. As he reached his room the closet slid open as a head of messy brown curls appeared along with a big pair of brown eyes.

"Hey, you stayed!" cheered the blonde boy happily making Samira shoot him a grin.

"Yes. Your sensei? Why here?" she asked as she extracted herself from her camouflage.

If he had opened the closet door all he would had seen was a messily tossed in futon and not the person hiding under it. The blonde haired boy had the good graces to chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I … prank on him," said the boy with another nervous chuckle as her eyes widened.

"That why you out late? Last night?" she asked curiously.

The boy nodded with a slight grin, still looking sheepish. Chuckling she sent him a wink and ruffled his hair. "Nice prank. Now go clean. Sensei want you clean up prank?"

The boy nodded before sending her a hopeful look, "You'll stay, right?"

She blinked in surprise, not really sure what to say, but decided to tell him she wasn't sure. Mumbling while examining the floor, not wanting to meet his eyes, "Ah, I not know."

The boy immediately looked upset, "What?! Why? Come on, stay! Please!"

"Well, I run away bad ninja. Scary. Not want you hurt," she said her tone uncertain as she pat his hair down worriedly.

The boys eyes widened in surprise, "Bad ninja?"

She nodded gravely her brown eyes holding his own blue ones with their truth. "Me now secret. Got to get away before catch me," she murmured softly, her eyes sad as she watched his eyes lose hope. Not wanting to see him anymore sad she straightened up and in a louder voice filled with longing, "Wish could stay."

"Wait! … Old man … help," cried the boy vehemently!

Samira's eyes widened in shock and her face paled, "No! No tell! Dangerous for you and old man! Not want hurt. Not know! Secret. Promise," she said quickly as she knelt to his level, eyes pleading.

The boy looked torn as he thought it over, before burning resolve lit his eyes. "Promise you'll stay, I promise not to tell," making the woman blink in surprise.

"Why?" she asked not understanding what was going through the boy's head or why he looked so determined all of a sudden.

"I'm training … ninja. I'll protect you." He firmly proclaimed before motioning around his apartment. "You'll … safe here." He said firmly.

She blinked in shock, completely taken aback by this turn of events. She had never expected to find anyone so genuinely kind, much less the boy standing in front of her, face shining in his determination to protect her. She had always wanted someone to do that for her, to care for and protect her though she never thought it would happen. Here she was in the most vulnerable time of her life being offered safety from a stranger in a foreign world. Considering the delicate state of her emotions at the moment it was no surprise that her eyes would start to swim with tears.

"Ack! You don't … stay if you don't want …! Uh, I'm sorry, I … you … want … place … stay! Don't cry, I-" she cut of his nervous ramblings by pulling him into a deep hug, the boy freezing in her arms.

She knew that one day she would have to leave anyways, but for now that day wasn't today. "Thank you very much Naruto-kun. I very happy. You very kind." She murmured quietly.

After a moment the boy hesitantly returned her hug and the young woman couldn't help but smile at the way his cheeks flushed with embarrassment when she pulled back to look at him. "Cute," with a giggle as she gently poked his cheek.

He huffed and looked away thought she could tell he was struggling not to grin at her. It looked like she wasn't going to be as alone as she had thought, stuck in a world full of strangers. Not anymore.

* * *

**AN: Dun Dun DUUUUUUUN! ... Why thank you Belt. Kudos for those that get the reference. Anyways, another chapter done! **

**Samira has met a hospitalized unmasked, gorgeous, half asleep Kakashi and is now hiding out with Naruto! Little brat, always pranking and getting into trouble! You know him, always wanting to help out those that need it and save the damsel in distress. He's such a cute**** little trouble magnet. Anyways, there is a method to my madness people. This especially goes out to the people who where with me for the last story. I'll give you a clue. **

**Its a big part of the plot that she bump into the little Uzumaki. **

**Hehe, can't give you any more of a hint or else it would just be too easy to figure out. For those of you that get it, please PM me. ;)**

**Anyways, please tell me what you like and dislike, thought of, or perhaps are wondering.**

**... Like why she dislikes medics so much. Hehe, that's another plot twist too. As she said, she didn't normally dislike them, but now, all of a sudden, she starts freaking out around them? Hmmm, I wonder why? Kukukuuu. **

**Well, thanks everyone! **

**REVIEW! I NEED MOTIVATION FOR WRITING THE NEXT CHAPTER! :-D**

**Ja Ne! **

**Edited By: DragonSlayer2187**

**UPDATED: 10/21/14**

**Hit this Button**

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	3. Chapter 3

**Unlikely Love**

Written By: Fliscent Firetail ^_-

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**AN: Hey there everyone! Wow, another chapter! And so soon too. (Heavy sarcasm) ;-) Hehe, yeah I know, I stink, taking so ling to update and all. To tell the truth, both the first and second chapters needed to be looked over. But guess what?! I've got a beta now! And she's been helping so much with making sure that the quality of the stry and plotline is flowing alright! :D After going over the first two chapters, hopefully this will help clarify and questions or confusions in the past two chapters. Please give feedback if you catch a few typos or anything that you think could improve the quality of the story, since writing is always a work in progress! :D **

**Anyways, I just wanted to thank everyone who has taken the time to read the story. I would like to thank my Editor for her hard work and for sending me some pretty awesome K-pop music to listen to as I worked. It helped a lot. ;-) Well, please read and review!**

**Happy Late Birthday! :D My birthday just passed a few days ago, which is why I decided to have a mass update. That way everyone can leave a review as their birthday present! lol ;) This only happens once a year so cough 'em up!**

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_Italics are thoughts_

**Bold is English**

"this is regular talking"

this is an _**emphasis**_!

* * *

**Ch. 3**** Part I**

**Beginning**

* * *

The morning was quiet as the young woman lay curled up under the blankets, her head of wild brown curls spread messily around her, sticking up at odd angles from the tossing and turning that had occurred from the young woman's sleep. To tell the truth, Samira had been awake for about four hour previously, before going back to sleep. She had originally woken around day rise, the sound of an enraged teacher at her host's front door, bringing her sharply from her much needed rest. Still tired though, deeply so, she had gone back to sleep almost as soon as her young blond host had left for the day to attend to the mess of a prank that he had created for his teacher, leaving the woman to sleep in silence. Samira frowned slightly in her sleep and shifted slightly before whimpering. She was having a… odd dream.

"Gah!" Samira gasped as she shot up in the bed. She looked around groggily before groaning and curling up once more under the sheets, the unfamiliar yet distinct smell filling her nose as she groaned and sat up. Blinking groggily she sighed and looked around the room, taking in the cracks in the plastered walls and weathered floors which barely shined despite the fierce cleaning it had been given yesterday. What a dream… why the hell had she dreamed of that?! Trying to push the vision from her mind she continued to look around as she took in the shabby quality comforter and the thread bare clothing she could see. She sighed, as the simple reminder's from the boy's home brought her mind to a more serious and dark place; reality.

It went without saying that things would be hard from here on for her, whatever path she decided to take. Samira was aware of this but as she sat in the bed she had woken up in that morning it was becoming even more apparent, the silence of the apartment stifling against the sounds that came from outside that where muffled by the walls of the building. Without the sunshine blonde boy around to cheer her with his company, she was being left to her thoughts and given time to reflect on her situation, and all its complications. In the hospital she had been spending more of her time observing those around her, and trying to formulate a plan of escape. Without these distractions… her mind was now free to wander. Grimacing, she rose from the bed to make it properly before stifling another yawn and heading into the interior of the apartment where the living room was. She found herself seated on an old couch as she took in the rest of the details of the room, things she had missed last night in their hasty entrance.

The walls where the same off white as the rest of the apartment, a crack here and there coming through the old plaster, the floors scattered with scrolls and garbage. Nearby was also a chair in the living room, making up all of the blonde's furniture and decor. There was a very lively looking plant in the window over the kitchen sink she found when she went into the surprisingly clean looking kitchen hunting for food, only to find that his fridge was mainly empty except for milk and that his cupboards where bare except for lots of ramen and a few old cans, some rice pushed into a deeper part of the cabinet that had a thin layer of dusk. The appliances looked surprisingly familiar to those that she used in her world, either to cook with or make tea, making her wonder if things operated on electricity here as well.

_Of course things use electricity here, idiot,_ Samira thought as she peaked out the window to taking in the grungy street bellow and the rough looking power lines that ran from wooden pole to wooden pole, opaque clouds covering the sky in a shifty grey mass. Sighing she went back to trying to figure out how to use the water boiler properly so she could make herself some food. It didn't help that all the labels where written in Japanese, or Kanji as it is called since both the Chinese and Japanese use some of the same character system or symbols for their writing systems. She grit her teeth in mild irritation as she gazed at the written characters on the heater as if they had personally offended her. Samira didn't need a genius to tell her that she was going to hate learning how to read and write with kanji, that is, if she could even get someone to teacher her while she was here in this world.

"**Since I'm apparently here to stay, because that scarred Hulk of a man said that there was no way to go back,"** she muttered irritably before sighing, a wave of despair mixing with her irritation at the impossible situation she had been thrown into. What was she going to do? The water began to boil and she pulled herself from her thoughts so she could pour the scalding hot water into a ramen cup, beef flavor since that was her favorite. As she let the noodles steep she absent mindedly took a seat at the table to wait, chopsticks swirling the steaming broth around slowly.

She was thinking about every that had happened so far as she tried to understand what exactly _had_ happened. Ok, so when she looked away from the road, all of a sudden there's a person there that hadn't been there before. Poof! Sudden person appears! That was odd. Then she tried to avoid hitting them and her car flipped before she was sent into the lake, the car starting to sink. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to recall what she could of the chaotic parts before giving up on those parts of her memory, instead settling on what she understood. She had defiantly remembered seeing large gnarled roots, roots so big that they had to belong to a _**monster**_ of a tree. And yet these roots hadn't extended from the surface… she frowned in confusion. What the hell? The roots had been branched out in the water as if they had… been growing _**towards **_the surface…

She shook her head, not understand why it had looked like there had been a tree growing its roots _towards_ the surface of the water, not _away_ from it. Blinking herself from her thoughts she began to dig into her ramen as she absently took in the grains of the old wood table she was sitting at, her eyes stopping on a scorch mark here and there over the wood. _The water_, she realized after a moment ramen freezing halfway to her mouth before she lowered the noodles slowly back into the cup. She had only been able to see those fantastic gargantuan roots that deep under the water because there had been a brilliant glow that seemed to be coming from the water itself, making things bright and clear the closer she had gotten to the surface. She sighed and rubbed her head wearily remembering how the water she had choked out had been glowing as well. To think that that stuff had been in her lungs for lord knows how long… it wasn't a comforting thought considering most stuff that glowed now a days was either magical fairy poop or radioactive. Seeing as fairy poop didn't exist (or unicorns for that matter,) she was going with the idea that this was perhaps radioactive… then again people seemed to have super powers here in this world… where they radioactive too? Is this what happened when living cells evolved to function with radiation and instead of freaking Godzilla, you get ninjas with otherworldly powers?!

Samira groan and shoveled the rest of her ramen into her mouth, cheeks bulging as she chewed angrily. _Whatever, I'm done thinking about how weird and fuck up everything is here. I need to think about how I'm going to survive,_ she thought grumpily as she managed to swallow the noodles. She drained the broth easily with a smack of her lips like a pro and stood, making her way to the kitchen before heading into the living room, only to pause at the mess that greeted her eyes. She looked around the room for a moment before sighing. First though, she had the feeling that she was going to have to do a bit of cleaning. This place was just too messy for her to think in.

* * *

**Across Konoha at the Academy…**

It had been a nice day for Naruto, to say the least, his mood so truly jubilant that nothing could have put a dampener on his happiness today, not even the gloomy weather or the rain that kept going off and on.

_It seems I've made a friend,_ thought the boy happily as he thought back on the young woman that he had managed to get to agree to stay with him. The thought of anyone trying to hurt such a nice young woman had him in a huff, but he was secretly a bit glad since she had decided to stay with him, if only for protection. You better believe it! He was going to kick those bad ninja's buts for trying to get to his new friend. Daydreaming about pulling awesome ninja moves and the young woman being eternally grateful sprang to mind making him chuckle happily as his good humor returned. The fact that he was all smiles didn't go unnoticed by his classmates, who where warily aware of the prankster's change in demeanor. Iruka had noticed as well but had merely chalked up the boy's glee to another successful prank accomplished. His other classmates however had not.

"What did you do Naruto?" demanded Sakura irritably as she came over to her classmate, the lunch bell having released them for the lunch period. Naruto, pleased to see his crush coming to talk to him, just grinned wider. It seemed like things were going his way today! He had a new house guest and his crush had actually come over to talk to him!

"What do ya mean Sakura-chan?" he asked happily as the pink haired girl continued to scowl at him.

"What are you so happy about today? Have you set up another prank? Iruka sensei will be so mad if you did," she demanded making the boy blink in surprise before starting to laugh nervously. Perhaps things weren't going to go as well as he had thought.

"Ahaha! What are ya talkin' about Sakura-chan? Can't a guy just be happy or somethin'?" he asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice. What if someone noticed his oddness and decided to check his apartment? The Lady didn't want other people involved for fear of them getting hurt, and he had made her a promise after she agreed to stay. If anything, Naruto was a man of his word. He had to distract Sakura fast or else she might draw more attention to him or something. Normally, it's what he wanted, just not today. Besides, the lady was _**his**_ secret, and he didn't want that to change so soon. Sakura's green eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Na-rU-TOOOO!" she grit out dangerously, her fist raising threateningly. It was clear that she wasn't going to accept that answer from him, and he wasn't going to spill the beans to her, even if she was his crush. That didn't mean that he was going to let himself get beaten up by an angry Sakura though.

"Ah, look its Sasuke! He's kissing Ino!"

"What?! where?!" Cried Sakura as she spun around to look. Finding no one but Shikamaru and Choji looking at her in question she turned back around to find that Naruto was long gone.

"Whew, that was close," muttered the blonde haired boy as he took off down the street heading for Ichiraku Ramen, raising his collar against the cool humid wind and the light drizzle that was staring up again. He hadn't had time to pack a lunch this morning. Maybe the lady would pack lunches for him if he asked really really nice? He couldn't help but grin widely as he chuckled at the idea, an extra spring in his step.

"NARUTOOOOO!" came an angry yell behind the fleeing kid as a furious Sakura stuck her head out the class room window to glare at his retreating back while he ran off. Shikamaru sighed as his portly friend shot him a questioning look.

"Troublesome," grumbled Shikamaru. Choji just shrugged in acceptance of his friend's word before going back to his chips. Troublesome indeed.

* * *

**Forty five minutes later…**

The blonde returned to the class a few minutes late shivering since his jacket had gotten pretty wet. Too bad he didn't have an umbrella or anything. That would have been nice…

"Naruto," Iruka called, his tone disapproving as the blonde gave a sheepish grin and scrambled for his seat. Maybe just this once he'd listen to what Iruka sensei was talking about. He had made the man mad enough for one day.

Finally the day ended and the school bell rang, kids rushing from the classrooms as Naruto followed only pausing at the entrance to the school as the other kids hurried past, laughing chattering or complain about this that or the other as Parents waited on the side with umbrellas and rain jackets for the unfortunate few children who had been foolish enough to forget theirs that morning on the rush to school. Naruto watched as a string of longing began to coil in his chest as he watched a boy smile happily at his mother who smiled back and helped him with the buttons, despite the boy's protests of being too old for that sort of stuff. The mother just laughed, eyes warm as she stood and readjusted her umbrella. Then she looked up and the warmth in her eyes fled only to be replaced with cold hate as she stared at Naruto.

The blonde's lips pursed as he stared back until the mother finally looked away, leading her boy firmly away through the growing rain. Naruto sighed and looked to the side to only realize that the woman wasn't the only one giving him those hard hateful eyes. The boy could feel anger at the people begin to coil hotly in his chest as his hands clenched, the loneliness being pushed away. He was going to show them one day, he would be powerful and even if they didn't like him, they would bow to him, the Hokage. They would never be able to treat him like this again! Believe it!

_Wait a second, isn't that Lady waiting at my house for me?_ He wondered before he took off through the rain, the anger replaced with excitement. Maybe these people looked down on him, hated him it seemed, but that lady had seemed so nice! She had been so accepting of him too! She hadn't freaked out when she heard his name or shot him hateful eyes when looking at the lines on his cheeks. Those where usually the things that people recognized that marked him as the village pariah. She had even called the cheek marks… cute! His grin threatened to split his face as he raced through the village, intent on getting home. He finally had someone waiting for him now.

* * *

**Across Konoha**

It hadn't taken Samira long to pick up the litter and clutter that had filled the boy's living room. Most of it had either been scrolls that had been left carelessly out or trash or clothing that had been discarded… well ok, there were also plates and garbage as well but she didn't mind _too_ much. After picking up the litter, she had dusted, cleaned the windows, swept and mopped, finding herself once more cornered as she sat on the couch waiting for the floor to dry. She pouted moodily before laying back on the couch with a sigh, her head resting against a stack on scrolls she had collected when she had been scouring the room for all the things left out. Needless to say, all the dirty cloths where now in the wash being cleaned, the left over plates had been put in the sink to soak in hot water, the garbage picked up and ready to be thrown out, personal affects put in the boy's room and all the scrolls piled on the couch.

A scroll fell off the couch as she shifted to get comfortable and she huffed in mild annoyance before swiftly swiping it from the damp floor before it could either dirty the now clean floor or before the scroll could be damaged. Leaning back to get comfortable she frowned slight as she opened the scroll, only to grimaced as she took in the kanji. Huffing she opened the scroll a bit more and frowned slightly in interest at the diagram being displayed. It looked to be the yin yang of something in the human body, and there were some notes on the side, a few of the kanji familiar as she turned to scroll slightly to see a bit better in the dim light of the room. Mind, body, and power where the only things she could really understand as she continued to puzzle over the diagram. What did mind and body have to do with the yin yang symbol? Or power for that matter? As she thought about it she was suddenly reminded of that hulking scarred man. Hadn't he made a hand sign like the person in the diagram before he had started shooting water out of thin air?! Eyes widening at the implication Samira sat up sharply, her breath catching. So this was how he did it! He had used mental and physical energy along with the hand signs to create a spell that summoned water. Did that mean that Naruto could do that same? Was this a common thing here in this world, to be able to use magic or was it just a few that could do so? Mind whirling Samira sat there lost in thought as she tried to recall all she could, to see if she could come up with her own answers already or if she needed more information.

_If only I could ask Naruto,_ she thought with a huff, frustration rising at her inability to be able to speak Japanese. Well, she could actually speak Japanese fairly well, _just not this kind_. _**This**_ kind of Japanese was almost backwards in the way it was spoken in comparison to the kind she that was used in her world, which was ironic since Japanese from her world was very backwards compared to English. The Japanese in this world however was probably closer in structure to her own language, English, but she wasn't sure what went where in the sentence structures yet which was why when she spoke it probably sounded broken to native speakers here. There were also some words that where a bit off or different that she wasn't so sure about. She was still trying to adjust to the different accent she heard them speaking as well.

She frowned, pulled from her discovery to muse over her current language barrier. Surely once she got over the accent and the changed structure she would be able to understand the language just fine. Hopefully. She started grumbling irritably as she slumped on the couch. Slam! Went the front door as it was thrown open.

"I'm home!" at the sudden sound the young woman fell off the couch in a crash. She groaned. That hurt.

"Gah! Naruto?" she called as she rubbed her elbow gingerly while the boy slammed the door shut again and raced into the room. He skidded to a stop as his excited expression became surprised, eyes widening as he took in how clean everything was.

"Wow! Looks like you got busy, lady," he said as Samira frowned in concentration. She was starting to understand him a lot better since she had time to puzzle over things and she found herself wanting to speak better as well. To do that, she was going to have to put herself out there and start speaking her worlds Japanese in hopes that the boy would be able to understand and correct her speaking style to where she would be able to speak fluently.

"So, go well your school did?" she hedged in Japanese from her world. Naruto frowned as he shot her an odd look.

"Uh, yeah I guess it was alright." He said, shifting uncomfortably from side to side as the awkward silence began to grow. Not knowing what else to say, the boy blurted out what was on his mind.

"You talk funny," Naruto blinked before flushing in embarrassment when he saw his house guest raise a dainty eyebrow at him questioningly. After a moment the lady snorted her cheeks becoming slightly pink. This was why she hadn't been speaking the Japanese from her world. She had always been rather self conscious about how well she knew things, usually not showing a skill until it was adequate enough to be considered fair or passing. To speak the language so badly was rather embarrassing.

"Well, I from where people talk like this. To learn the difference of this language I must, so I speak." She said with a sheepish grin.

"Oh." Said the boy as the awkward silence started up again. He had just been so eager to get home and now he was here he wasn't sure what was supposed to happen next. The young woman regarded him for a moment before frowning.

"Told you my name, have I?" she asked. Naruto blinked in surprise before shaking his head when he realized that he hadn't even gotten her name yet.

"**Samira** **Cloud**," she said with a grin as she gave a small bow in greeting. "Nice to meet you." Naruto blinked in mild surprise one more before giving a laugh.

"It's nice to meet you too Cloudu-chan," he said. Samira gave a laugh before grinning at him.

"My name that is last is **Cloud**. My name is Samira. You can call Samira-chan, ok?" she said as the boy smiled again, this time less hesitantly as he began to relax, though his giddiness was beginning to return a bit. He now knew his house guest's name! "Well Samira-chan, how about I teach you my language?" he asked with a wide grin as she grinned back in embarrassment. Hopefully she would pick up the difference pretty quickly.

Samira learned a lot that night as the two of them talked, the boy teaching her the proper ways to say what she was wanting to say as she mentally adjusted her Japanese to fit the Japanese for this world. Samira was still working on adjusting her speaking style but she could at least understand what was being said _much_ better now. She had a good evening talking with him as she asked him a wide myriad of questions that he was happy to answer for the most part. She eventually asked him about the diagram in the scroll she had found and he had explained the concept of chakra to her before going on to talk about the different branches of ninja training.

"There are three main categories I think under which a ninja's gotta fall: Taijustu, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu ninja." Said the boy as Samira quirked an eyebrow at the odd names.

"What is taijutsu and the other categories?" she asked as the boy hummed in thought, his features struck in a classic thinking pose. Samira had to fight back the urge to hug him and squeal; he was just too cute for his own good.

"Well, taijutsu users are close combat nin that use their bodies for attack, like punching and kicking and stuff," said the boy as Samira frowned as she mentally began comparing taijutsu to martial arts. "Ninjutsu is super cool! You use hand signs to create a jutsu before releasing it. You can create lightning and blow stuff up or send fireballs or whatever! It's awesome!" said the boy excitedly as Samira's eyes widened slightly. Had that Hulk of a guy be using Ninjutsu when he had shot the water out of thin air? It was starting to sound like it. So he had to be a ninja… At that thought Samira's gaze landed on the large black trench coat.

"Hey Naruto," she said slowly as the idea began to take root in her mind. The boy shot her a questioning look and she continued speaking now she had his attention.

"You think maybe cool ninjas hide things in clothing? Like in jacket?" she suggested as she pointed to the trench coat that was hanging beside the door, looking far too big for either one of them to wear. The boy shrugged easily.

"Sure why not?" he said as Samira's eyes lit up with interest. She was going to have to take a better look at that jacket later to see what else it was hiding other than a few weapons. However right now her attention was still on what they were discussing.

"What is last category?" asked Samira curiously drawing their attention back to the subject a hand.

"Oh! That last category is Genjutsu, the art of illusions. I hate those though. I can't even do the bunshin jutsu which is an illusion based jutsu," grumbled the boy with a pout as the young woman thought over what she had learned so far.

"That and my taijutsu sucks," complained the boy before freezing dread appearing on his face as he shot her a worried look. Uh oh! He hadn't intended on letting that slip! What if she didn't think he was strong enough to protect her now and she decided to leave?! Samira shot the frozen boy a questioning look when he remained frozen as if warily awaiting her reaction. What the heck was up with him? After a moment she decided to break the silence.

"Ok. Bad at taijutsu you are? Well, I can teach you if you want. Know much taijutsu, I do," she said easily as the boy's shoulders relaxed slightly, his tense worried expression being replace by one that was hard for her to understand.

Naruto couldn't believe his luck. He had just slipped up big time and she wasn't even mad at him for not being good at fist fighting. She had even offered to help him. But others had offered him things before only for it to turn out to be some kind of trap… His face darkened slightly as he remembered the spoiled food that had made him sick… cloths that turned out to have something foul on them and the people that had taken pride at sneering at him embarrassments before in the past… did he dare hope that she was any different than the others? Struggling with his inner dilemma he decided to look up only to see her watching him patiently, eyes kind if not slightly confused.

She really didn't treat him like the others of the village, did she? She seemed to be treating him like he was perfectly normal kid and he found himself relishing the treatment, even if it wasn't over the top. Such a simple thing and yet before he could think over it much more, he found himself nodding in agreement as his grin began to surface once more, threatening to split his face. It would take time to tell but… he might have just found another precious person to add to his list of people he cared for and who treated him well.

"That sounds awesome Samira-chan!" she smiled back easily and Naruto felt something warm start to grow in his chest. The kindness she seemed to emit without meaning to only served to reassure him that she was genuine and he found himself looking forward to learning from her, despite his lingering hesitance. She might be a foreigner, and maybe she talked funny and looked a bit odd, with her big round eyes and curly hair, but he had a feeling that he could put his trust in this person.

"Good. If you want, I teach you a little now," she said as the boy perked up excitedly. Teach him she did, but the first thing that they had started out with was the academy style that he had been taught, so she could gauge where his learning was at. Samira had been a bit surprised at the unbalanced forms that the boy showed her, and had felt a hint of unease watching him try to go through the surprisingly awkward and choppy Kata styles_. This won't do,_ she thought to herself with a frown as she watched him move, her mind already rapidly drawing up what she needed to teach him to get him on the right track with his training. He didn't seem to have muscle memory either for block and kicks and what he did show was surprisingly off balance and lacked power due to his form. As the boy finished he rose out of his final position to look to his houseguest. A wave of worry began to coil in his gut when he looked to find that her face was dark and deep in thought as she regarded him with pursed lips, clearly not pleased. Before his worry could grow she suddenly spoke.

"You have lot of potential. But not with this style. You're fast, light on feet but lacking power needed for this style. It is also inefficient for you to use this at your age. I will teach you my two styles, and I want you to forget about academy style altogether. That style will get you hurt, or worse, killed." She growled out making the boy jump a little in surprise before he nodded hesitantly. It took him a moment to realize that she wasn't displeased with him but the style itself.

Samira couldn't believe what she had seen. Perhaps the boy just hadn't learned the style right, or maybe that was the actual style, but to see that many openings had made her uneasy with the knowledge that he would get pummeled into the ground if he used it in a real fight.

"S-so you're going to teach me your styles?" he breathed, hope and excitement threatening to burst into bloom. She nodded resolutely. She was going to teach him Wing Chung and Wado Ryuu, but first she was going to be teaching him some basic gymnastics she had learned as a kid. She had always integrated it into her fighting style and it had always kept her fast and spry in her sparring against her formidable friend Antonia. Antonia never really joked around when it came to sparring and had more experience as well as dedication to her style which meant Samira needed something up her sleeve to keep from getting slaughtered in their occasional sparring practice. It had been years but she still remembered the mechanics and what they would need to do. She grimaced when she realized how poorly she had done fighting that drunkard off from earlier. True she had been shocked enough by the man's actions for her to be hesitant to hurt him, but she should have reacted faster, and broken his grip on her at least. It had been a disappointing moment for her.

To tell the truth, this wouldn't be the first time for her to teach these styles, or to teach for that matter. In school she had occasionally been given the task of tutoring other students, having to explain the concepts behind the lesson whether it was math or chemistry or orchestra. She had learned through school the communication skills needed to teach in the first place. When she had reached brown belt in her old dojo she would often help her sensei and senpai teach. It had been her age that had kept her from completing the training to become a full fledged black belt in her discipline though she was still taught the styles and methods used in more advanced fighting, all the way up to sixth degree black belt. Something her teachers had instilled in her at a raw age of five however was not to hurt other unnecessarily. This mixed with her fear of punishment growing up still served to make her hesitate at crucial times in fights, like yesterday night. Still, she was a bit disappointed it had taken her so long to act. She sighed, moving past her musings of her past.

"Yes. First lesson: Balance, since balance and recovery is key in any fight. Perhaps one of most important things, it is." She said seriously as she moved into a stance and began to explain the mechanics of what she was doing and why it was important she do it that way. The boy nodded, listening intently as she talked while she adjusted his stances and showing him how to fall to the ground properly to minimize damage from a hit. She could tell while working with him that he was rather agile and fast on his feet, which was a tremendous help. She was a bit surprised how quickly he was learning and integrating the information as she taught, but was fairly pleased with her eager and hardworking student. It was evening by the time they finished the first lesson, both their stomachs starting to growl as the last of the light from the sky was pushed away by the lingering clouds on the horizon. The rain began to fall once more in a gentle patter on the roof and windows.

As they made their way into the kitchen, both tired but pleased with their day's work the boy set the water heater to boil and pulled out a few ramen cups as Samira shot him a questioning look.

"So, what else do you eat other than ramen?" she asked as the boy fixed their cups. The blonde shrugged easily.

"Meh, not much else. But I like ramen a lot, so that's ok," he said with a grin as Samira's concern for the kid began to spike once more. _Geez, his blood pressure must be horrible, with all the salt he eats_. She began to look over him with a critical eye as the boy continued to make their food. He had left his jacket in the living room letting her see his arms and upper body with ease through his thread bare shirt. She frowned, not liking what she saw. He was definitely smaller than he should have been for his age, a sure sign of malnutrition. The way he had spoken about food had made it sound like ramen was all he could get for food but that he didn't mind… she found herself a bit alarmed at the idea, considering her staying with the boy was going to put a bit of a dent in the boy's food supply, whether she meant for it too or not.

A pit of dread began to settle in her stomach as she stared unseeing at the cabinets, mind slowly churning as her tension grew. It wasn't until she saw the boy shifting nervously that she realized she was making him uncomfortable though he hadn't said anything. If anything he seemed to be shying away from her. The sight made something shift uncomfortably in her chest. She pursed her lips. She could think over this later. For now she took a deep breath and forced it down. She wasn't going to break down in front of the boy at the reality of their current situation. It would be alarming and probably upset him. Naruto seemed to relax slightly as he went about making their ramen cups in silence. Forcing a grin, the two of them sat down and ate their food in the continued silence, the boy's silence one of growing content, while the young woman's was one of tension and the inner conflict that wanted to rise to the surface. She sighed tiredly to herself as she stirred her ramen. She would have to think on this later.

* * *

**Omake: The Dream**

**(AN: Fan service since I had to edit ch. 1 and 2 and take a brief hiatus)**

_Samira was surrounded by countless Anbu masked men, except for a scowling Ibiki who was only wearing a black spandex Speedo thong, revealing all the rippling muscles she had felt moving under her when he had carried her to the village. Oh my gosh, those Abs! I could use those as a wash board to clean my cloths with! I don't think he would mind either with the way he was smirking at me all of a sudden. _

"_What's going on? What are you doing?" She demanded as she did her best not to start drooling. Sweet hallelujia, it's raining men… _

"_We're ninja strippers, Woman, what do you think is going to happen?" demanded one masked Anbu as he began to remove his vest and shirt, leaving a chiseled upper body that had her mumbling gibberish. _

"_Uh, you're going to strip? And pole dance for me?" Samira questioned breathlessly as all the masked Anbu men around her began to follow their leader's example. A slight sheen of sweat glistened over the hard masculine bodies that were starting to be revealed as all the Anbu men began to peel their clothing away. Oh, that yummy trail… those abs… ack! The tantalizing curve of his hipbone as his pants clung precariously to his hips, the cloth in danger of sliding off. Suddenly the silver haired hottie from the hospital was in front of her, smirking widely._

"_Well, it's time for the show to start sweet heart, and guess what? You're going to be the pole," he purred as he flashed a dashing grin, revealing glistening canine teeth that where probably longer than they should have been, his mismatched eyes glinting with lust and he stalked forward. Wow, what a nice chest, she thought dreamily before her gaze drifted lower, eyes widening. It was then that she realized that he was only wearing that sexy grin and nothing else._

"Gah!" She cried as she sat up blinking blearily before sinking back into the mattress with a groan.

What a time to wake up. No wonder she was in a bad mood the rest of the morning.

* * *

**Ch. 3**** Part II**

**Face the Music**

* * *

The next day Samira woke a little after nine or so, she guessed from squinting cautious out the window to see where the sun was in the sky. Yawning she picked up her futon from the floor and refolded it before placing it in the closet once more, before making her way through the cleaner looking house and into the kitchen area, Naruto nowhere in sight. Opening the cabinet she found herself frowning slightly at the ramen. The supply was starting to look a lot smaller, with the fact that there were only about nine packages left, opposed to the seventeen packages that had been in the cabinet yesterday.

_Where the hell did it all go?_ She thought to herself in mild bewilderment before the leftover haze of sleep was pushed from her mind by a gut clenching realization. If the two of them ate one cup of ramen two times a day, and the two cups at dinner, in total, that would mean that they both ate at least four ramen cups per person, per day. With this rate of eating the meager helping of noodles, the ramen supply would be gone by tonight.

Samira stared at the cabinet as something coiled in the pit of her stomach, something that made her feel so nauseous that any notion of eating was long gone.

She was a foreigner, and would stick out like a sore thumb in this alien society, making it easy for her captors to hunt her down again, meaning she couldn't get a job to provide for herself, much less the boy that she was staying with, making her a burden and a dependant. She hadn't felt like this since her parents had died, throwing her world into utter chaos as her situation became completely unstable.

Feeling like she had been punched in the gut she sank to the floor against the door, her emotions roiling as she was struck with the facts of her situation. She was on the run, with no means of supporting herself, being hidden away by an orphaned kid, in a completely different world, with no hope of getting back. And she couldn't even get a fucking job to take care of herself with. She hadn't felt this helpless in years, nor so alone.

She was royally screwed, and she was just a burden to the kid, no matter what she did. She was going to have to leave even though she had initially wanted to stay. She wouldn't be able to inconvenience him like that. He was such a sweet heart too, the only person from here to really welcome her, treat her with genuine… well, to be genuine with her. The thought of leaving what little stability she had had her tearing up.

She hadn't cried in the hospital because she had been having to keep up appearances there, not wanting anyone to pay too much attention to her, but now she no longer had to keep up a mask, she could feel her emotions unraveling around her. Tears began to well in her luminous brown eyes and soon the tears where flowing freely, leaving her a sobbing mess as she huddled up against the counter. She didn't have a lot in the world she had left, just broken pieces of a family, and a tentative future with a few friends and such, but at the very least she had _belonged_ there. At least she knew the language and had _freedom!_ At least she knew how things worked there with the government to the laws of gravity, but here… everything was topsy turvy and soon she found herself crying from pure frustration at what had happened to her, at her situation. How the hell was she supposed to make it?! Then on top of that, there where ninjas with super powers in the mix! She just wanted to scream with frustration.

She didn't know how long she stayed there against the faded cabinets, soft hiccups breaking past her slightly swollen lips, her eyes swollen sand bloodshot from her tears. She didn't know… she just… her thoughts trailed off as her head leaned back against the cabinet and she sighed, feeling slightly irritated in the back of her mind, that now her nose was clogged up.

_What am I going to do now?_ She wondered to herself, feeling emotionally spent after her long bout of crying. Her eyes slid shut sluggishly and she sighed before pulling herself back together the best she could. As she straightened from her hunched position in the kitchen, she quickly scrubbed away the tears, determination replacing the despair. There was no going back it seemed, and if she wanted to survive she was going to have to start moving forward. But first she needed a plan of action, and to create a plan of action, she was going to have to gather some Intel first to see what she was dealing with, and for that she was going to need a disguise.

Forty minutes later, Samira cautiously stuck her head out of the front door and looked around furtively. Her short curly brown hair was now, straight , the length appearing to be longer as well since she had straightened it, and her large round eyes looked to be more slanted since she used eyeliner to create the illusion that her eyes where a different shape. It was also died black, giving her a more Asian look than before. She was wearing a plain black shirt she had found at the hospital and a pair of khaki shorts, flip flops on her feet. Satisfied that the way was clear she swiftly shut the door behind her and locked it with the spare key that was hidden under the eave. She took in the grungy empty street below her and quickly made her way down the walk way and down the stairs to the street below, making sure to remember what apartment number and floor Naruto's home was on. As she came to the ground floor she paused looking around. After a moment of contemplation she decided to head the left section of the street. Hopefully she would be able to get some information so she could figure out what to do next.

It wasn't long before Samira in her new disguise came across the market place. The hustle and bustle of the people filled the air as she took her time taking in the sights. The market was an open air market with colorful awnings in place over the goods for sale, most of which were foods. There were also shops dotted here and there that sold a variety of things, from clothing to cooking supplies to cosmetics and herbs, the sound of people chattering growing louder as she moved further into the crowd. She watched the way the people talked and pulled their children along, to how the teenagers laughed and joked as they pushed each other around playfully as they made their way down the street. There was a couple shooting loving looks at one another at the local café and a mother scolding her husband for something, the man shooting her a sheepish grin as she continued to glower at him. It was the people that where moving through the crowd however that caught her attention. There where both males and females of varying age and height that where just going on about their business as they want through the market but that wasn't what caught Samira's attention. Most of them had on matching uniforms and a head band that looked a lot like the kind she had seen on the man that had brought her. On their head bands was what looked like a leaf that had a spiral stuck in the center of it_. These must be ninja's,_ she thought to herself as she tried to hide her unease while she watched a few from the corner of her eye. As she looked around at the passing people, a motion from the corner of her eye caught her attention and she turned in time to see a little old lady drop the parcels she was carrying. Quickly making her way over to the woman's side she began to help the elder woman gather up her groceries and parcels.

"Oh, thank you young lady," said the elder woman as Samira grinned.

"No problem ma'am. I'll help you get these back home if you want," Samira offered as the older woman smiled gratefully.

"I would appreciate that, thank you my dear." Samira grinned and followed the elder woman, not noticing how a ninja from the shadows of the building beside her halted on his way to approach her before melting back into the shadows. As Samira walked with the older woman, the two of them talking, Samira couldn't help but notice that one of the parcels she was carrying appeared to be an instrument case of some kind. Samira had grown up around all sorts of instruments from the time she had been little, and had been taught how to play several herself though she was better at some than others. Her best where violin and cello, though she also knew the basics of guitar and piano and flute. She had always had a certain love for new instruments however and had always enjoyed experimenting with a new instrument to see what kind of sounds she could make with it. Perhaps she could find something in this new world that she could play. The idea was oddly rather relieving.

"Yumiko-san, what instrument is this?" she said making the older woman pause and look to see what Samira was referring to. At the sight of the instrument case that Samira was looking at, Yumiko's old face tightened into a bittersweet smile.

"That, my dear, is an Erhu. Come, I'll show you," she said as the two of them made their way over to a large tree that was in the middle of the street that had benches all around it. Setting the parcels aside carefully, the older woman sat heavily on one of the benches with a sigh before gesturing for Samira to give her the case. Samira quickly complied and Yumiko opened the case to reveal what looked like a long stick with a medium sized box on the end, a single long string running the length of the instrument. She pulled what looked to be a lap violin out before pulling out the bow and setting up the instrument. Samira watched the process in clear fascination before the older woman finally set the instrument on her lap and began to play a few notes. After a moment she began to play the opening of a song before fading off, a frown making her wrinkles be thrown into sharp relief. Before Samira could ask the older woman what was the matter, Yumiko shot her a rueful smile.

"I'm sorry dear. It's been a long time since I last played. Would you like to try?" Samira nodded eagerly and the older woman passed her the instrument.

"Alright, now you hold the bow like this, and you draw it across the strings like…" the older woman trailed off when Samira adjusted her bow hold and swiftly played a clear note. Yumiko shot her a bemused grin and nodded slowly, clearly pleased if not a bit uncertain and curious with the young woman's apparent skill despite the fact it was clear that Samira hadn't seen an Erhu before from the way she was eyeing the instrument curiously.

"Very good, my dear." Samira smiled at the praise before letting her fingers fly across the string to find where the notes on the instrument where, experimenting as she played by ear. She frowned at the differences this instrument posed compared to her cello before adjusting to the new positions and attentively sounding out one of her favorite melodies, making adjustments to her fingers here and there to get a better sound.

Samira had taught herself how to play violin after all and knew what to look for to start teaching herself this instrument. The Erhu was a bit different since it required a lot of shifting since all notes where on one string, but having spent years playing the cello, shifting from hand position to hand position wouldn't be a problem for her as long as she adjusted accordingly. Playing with the bow wasn't going to be a problem either since both violin and cello required using a bow. This bow was a little lighter to what she was used to and require constant outer pressure rather than inner pressure like the other two instruments but she was certain she could adjust swiftly enough to play with finesse. The older woman just watched on patiently as Samira puzzled out a few things with the instrument, the older woman giving a few tips here and there, and helping adjust her form as she tried to learn the instrument.

After about thirty minutes, when Samira was finally satisfied that she understood what note was where, and that she had gotten the hang of moving the bow, she began to play in earnest, beautiful swells of vibrato filling the air as she played, a sense of peaces falling over her. Her teachers had always praised her for her technique while playing string instruments. She had thought that she had lost everything while coming here, since there weren't cellos or violins here, meaning her skills play would have been useless. To be able to transfer these skills made her smile slightly as she played. It seemed she could make her own music, and play the long beloved tunes that she had grown up listening to, even if it was on a different instrument. She smiled even wider at the thought, caught up in the tune and the rich sound that filled the air as her eyes slide close, her hands busy at work playing over the instrument to make it sing enchantingly. She made sure to play low and tremulous at the sweet parts of the song, and made sure to express the delicacy of fleeting love with the soft whispers of the string and made sure to swell into rich loud vibrato when the song reach its climax, the feeling of overwhelming grief and sorrow clear through the instrument before it died down into the deep quietness of sorrow as it ended, the tremulous vibrato expressing the delicacy and heart breaking finality of The End of the piece of music. She stayed sitting there in silence for a moment before opening her eyes with a sigh, feeling more at peace than she had for a while. She could do this. She shouldn't give up hope just yet.

A loud cheer broke out and Samira nearly jumped out of her skin when she realized that she had attracted a crowd of curious bypasses with her playing. The case that had been sitting open between her and the older woman had money put in it as people chatter happily and praised her on her playing and skill. Samira watched the people in a daze before her gaze fell of Yumiko whose eyes were misty with tears.

"Yumiko-san, are you alright?" Feeling alarmed Samira quickly placed her hand on the older woman's to get her attention. Yumiko blinked before giving her a watery smile as she nodded a few strands of white falling out of her loose bun to frame her ancient face. Even through the years, Samira could see the older woman had been a beauty.

"Yes, my dear. I think that I'm doing better than I have in a long time." She said quietly as Samira relaxed slightly before shooting the crowd before her a shy smile. It only seemed to encourage them and soon the people where asking her questions and a few more put money in the instrument case. After a few minutes they were able to get away from the crowd and continue on their way, Samira regarding the small sack of cash that they had managed to make in such a short amount of time with large eyes.

"Geez, who would have thought that street performers would get paid so well here," she said as Yumiko grinned wryly.

"That's because we don't usually get many here, seeing as this is a ninja village," said the older woman.

"Ah. That would make more sense. They were acting so enthusiastic," said Samira with a nod as the older woman chuckled. Samira made sure not to let her surprise show as they continued their walk in silence. So this was a _**ninja village**_? Bloody hell, she had ended up in the worst possible place to escape from, hadn't she? Why hadn't they managed to find her yet, if there where ninja everywhere then? She sighed and shook her head to herself as she followed the older woman. Despite their previous detour, they managed to reach Yumiko-san's house in good time.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around then, Yumiko-san," said Samira with a slight grin as she began to turned to go.

"Wait. Aren't you forgetting something dear?" called the older woman. Samira shot her a questioning look before Yumiko held out the Erhu case and the bag of money. Samira's eye went wide as her breath caught in her throat. _No way…_

"Yumiko-san?" she asked meekly as the older woman gave her a slight smile and gestured for her to come closer.

"Here, I wanted to give this to you my dear. It's been many years since it has been played properly, and I believe my husband would be happy to know that it went to someone who deserved it, who is as passionate about music as he was," she said quietly as she placed the case in Samira's arms who continued to regard her with wide eyes. _Wow, so that was why she had been so sad… this erhu had been her late husband's…_

"Yumiko-san, are you sure?" she asked quietly as the older woman gave a small laugh and nodded.

"Yes my dear. Now don't forget this as well," said the older woman as she pushed the bag of money into the young woman's hands. Samira's gaze grew pained.

"You should keep it, Yumiko-san. This instrument is already enough," she said quietly with a bow as the older woman gave a small laugh, her eyes taking on a knowing look as she regarded the young woman carefully. Samira nearly blushed in embarrassment, knowing that the woman was taking in the faded and worn quality of her clothing and how it didn't fit her well.

"Trust me my dear. I have a feeling you need it more than I. I insist. You have been very kind to this old woman. Now go and do a little shopping for yourself, alright?" said the older woman as Samira finally nodded, humility at the older woman's words making her push her pride down. It was true, she probably need real cloths as well as supplies and food… she couldn't help but feel grateful. She now had a means of supporting herself if people made this much just playing on the street.

"Alright Yumiko-san. Good day, and thank you for everything!" she called as she began to leave, feeling exuberant with rising hope. Maybe she would be able to make it here after all? The older woman grinned back and waved as she left, heading down the street. It was only when Samira was about three blocks away did she realize that she was lost. She groaned as she began to beat her head on a wooden post repeatedly. What a day she was having…

After some minor cloth shopping, picking up some food and wandering aimlessly for a bit, she came across a tea stand that sold Dango as well. She had taken the time to look over the money she had gotten as she tried to analyze the money she had to see what it was worth. She was thankful that she could understand the Kanji that was marked on the coins and bills enough to understand how much things cost. Finally satisfied that she still had enough after her previous shopping, she ordered a tea and took a seat on the bench in front of the stand as she people watched, ears open as she listened to the pass byes talk. After catching a hint of a conversation in which a woman said that she was going to go to the academy to pick up her boys, Samira decided to follow. With some luck she could catch Naruto in time since she was hopelessly lost... After she returned the tea cup, she sped up a bit to catch up so she could follow the woman at a subtle distance, the case strap shifting on her back as she walked. Soon she was back in a part of the village she vaguely recognized before she found herself in front of a large four story building that had the Kanji for Shinobi/ninja on the front. Not very subtle if you asked her.

She noticed that there where parents and older siblings gathering in front of the building to pick up students. She shifted nervously as she stood at the edge of the crowd before spotting a tree that had a swing hanging in its shade. Gratefully she made her way very to it, sitting with a satisfied sigh as she settled into the seat, the shade feeling pleasant and cool on her slightly sweat dampened skin. After all the rain yester day the sun had finally come out, making the air hot and humid. She pat her hair nervously. If she sweated too much, her hair would return to its wild curls, giving her away and her eye liner would start to run. Hopefully she could get back to the apartment before that could happen.

She nearly jumped as a bell rang and soon the thunder of feet filled the air as the first few kids all but burst out of the academy doors. Samira watched wide eyed as a few of the older students actually jumped easily out of the second story windows before landing effortlessly outside before continuing either to their family or on their merry way. She kept her eyes peeled for a head of blond hair as the kids continued to pour out of the building. She started when she spotted blond hair only to frown when she realized it was a pretty girl with long blond hair, not Naruto. There was a flash of orange and Samira felt her face split into a large grin as the familiar yellow hair came into view. Naruto finally moved out of the academy as a few kids shoved past, making him stumble as he shot them annoyed looks. Samira felt her grin fade slightly at his closed off, if not wary appearance as he eyed the people before him while he carefully made his way past. The way some of the parents where looking at him made Samira's skin crawl. Before she could think on it, she moved out of the shade of the tree.

"Naruto!" she called, making the boy's head snap around his eyes widening. He froze for a moment in shock before a blinding grin split his face and he took off at a dead sprint. _Oh shoot,_ Samira thought as she swiftly set the Erhu case and bags down in time to catch the suddenly airborne blond, the momentum nearly knocking her over. She managed to swing them in a circle to keep from getting knocked over, having had lots of experience catching flying kids. Dojo kids were like that when they got excited. Good practice though.

Samira couldn't help but laugh as she continued to spin him, glad if not a bit relieved to see that he was happy again. She didn't know what was going on between him and those people, but he seemed to have completely forgotten them as they watched the two of them in shock. Feeling mischievous, Samira slowed their spin before throwing the boy over her shoulder as he cried out in surprise before laughing. Keeping him there, she bent carefully and picked up the case and bagsbefore setting it on her back once more and picking up the bags. Everything and everyone in place she walked of confidently as the boy continued to snicker on her shoulder, clearly enjoying being carried, even if he was being toted around like a sack of potatoes. She had a feeling the boy was blowing raspberries at the crowd as they made their way around the corner.

"So, where we going from here?" Samira called as she carried him. Naruto hummed before speaking.

"I don't know… I thought we could… well, never mind," muttered the boy to himself before starting to wiggle. Taking the hint, Samira put him down and the boy straightened himself out before hesitating as he looked at her, something clearly on his mind. He suddenly grabbed her hand and started pulling her along as Samira shot the boy a slightly bemused look but followed as they wound their way through the village into a more commercial area. Soon they were next to what looked to be a stand of some kind as Naruto puller her in, taking a seat at the long table that was inside on one of the bar stools.

"Ah, Naruto. What can I get for you?" called an older man kindly, clearly the chef.

"Two bowls of miso ramen and whatever she wants," said the boy brightly as he gestured to Samira who had hesitantly taken a seat beside him. The chef looked her over for a moment.

"And what can I get you young lady?" he asked as Samira nibbled her lower lip, not really sure they should be eating out with their current budget.

"Um, I guess a miso ramen. Thank you." She murmured as the chef nodded with a slightly satisfied grin.

"Three miso ramen coming right up." He called as he disappeared into the kitchen as Naruto wiggled excitedly in his seat.

"You're going to love Ichiraku's ramen, Samira-chan. They make the best food ever," he said with a grin as Samira smiled back shyly.

She sighed and began to fiddle with her chopsticks as she thought. She wanted to stay, more so after seeing the boy's living situation. She didn't want him to be alone anymore, not when he seemed like such a neat kid… but she couldn't burden him, nor could she stay here in a ninja village. Not only might they come after him for information since her helped her, but they might catch her as well, and she had no idea what they were going to do if that happened. Sighing once more she quickly broke her chop sticks and accepted her bowl of ramen with a polite smile. Tomorrow she would get supplies. But for today, she was going to enjoy her ramen and talk with Naruto. Hopefully she could figure something out by tomorrow.

**AN: Dun Dun DUUUUN! Oh no! Whatever will she do? Tune in next time on Unlikely love to find out!**

**Also, a note on the side. The ninja of the village who _are_ looking for Samira are looking for someone who has light brown, curly hair with round eyes, who speaks Anbu code (Aka: English) who sticks out like a sore thumb. Not only is Samira speaking relatively normal Japanese for their world, (it was the accent and the original speech patterns that where what gave her trouble understanding) she starts playing an instrument from their world, and has altered her looks to appear as normal as possible so she can blend in. Of course most ninja would look at her and see a civilian street performer instead of looking underneath the underneath and seeing a fugitive. If she had had ninja training, I think that they would have been immediately suspicious and picked up on her, but she acts fairly civilian despite her martial arts training, and well bathed and fed, and at ease. not dirty nervous hungry, desperate and drawing attention to herself. **

**Anyways, please review! That make me so happy! :D They also make me do more fan service as well… Kukuku, wink wink. **


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Ugh, I swear, the going has been slow but worth it, though most of the time it feels like I take two steps forward and one back. Well, I've gone over the first two chapters with my awesome new beta, Dragonslayer2187, and there have been several changes made. You might want to read over the first two chapters to freshen up some memories but nothing TOO major has been changed though there were a few things that are mildly important. **

**Ok, never mind what I just said: GO READ THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS AGAIN! I hope now things will be less confusing to read. Anyways, onto the next order of business. I have been on a bit of a hiatus since I'm currently having to work on losing weight for my job and such, with other things cropping up here and there, which means I've been fairly distracted and tired out by circumstance. Hey what can you do? Its life. However, I have been doing my best to continue working and refining things in this story from plot line to sentence structures. **

**-_-* I've actually rewritten this chapter several times, due to being unsatisfied with it and because of my Beta's prompting. She was right and I needed to look things over a bit more to solidify things, and because of this I'm actually satisfied with this enough to move on with the story instead of constantly being drawn back to this chapter, since it is such a pivotal series of events for the plot. So just know that there are actually a few skeletons of chapters prewritten and that I'm trying to get this done the best I can. I hope that I will be able to keep your interest and that I will be able to deliver a wonderful story that will not disappoint the readers. Please message me with feedback to let me know what you like, dislike; what you find funny, makes you heart break, what you find touching, what you admire and whether a character seems believable or not- about this story. This helps me pinpoint the aspects of writing and character development that help me continue creating the work that you enjoy.**

**Also feel free to message me in general. :-D I love a good chat and discussing aspects of writing as well as giving advice on writing though there is much that I still need to learn as well, such as thoroughness, character development and patience, though those are but a few. After all, the only way I could be satisfied with my skills is if they are perfected and for that I need to learn quite a bit more. I also like earl grey tea. And Japan. Yes, random, I know. **

**Well! Please read and review and thank you for taking the time to look over this opening note.**

**Now onto the story!**

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**Disclaimer:**

**Itachi -/_\\- Fliscent firetail does not own Naruto, the manga or anime. All rights belong to Kishimoto or whatever his name is. She only owns the plot/plot twists, and original characters.**

**Fliscent- Thanks Itachi-kuuuun~!**

**Itachi -/_\\-* can I leave now?**

**Fliscent- Whaaaat?! You're leaving me?! Awww! I thought we had something special 'Tachi-Kuuuuun~!**

**Itachi */_\\* (Mangekyo sharingan activates.) Tsykiyomi! And now you will experience this world for the next seventy two hours... YAOI!**

**Fliscent- NOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! **

**Itachi- */u\\* kukukuuu**

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**Ch. 4 Part I**

**Blood Bonds**

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The next day Samira woke around the same as Naruto, enough for her to be able to make him breakfast before heading off. The boy had warned her that going about the village might not be a good idea but she had reminded him of her disguise and gotten the boy to at least let her walk him to the academy. Now she was dressed in her new cloths that she had bought yesterday, Naruto was chattering away excitedly as he pointed out the sights and told her about the village. She shifted uneasily as she walked along with the boy, noticing the glares and the disgusted stares being thrown their way. What the hell was up with these people? It looked like they were going to attack them any moment. Samira frowned slightly to herself as she nodded distractedly to whatever Naruto had said. What was wrong with these people? Why where they staring at them with such hate and incredulous disgust?

After a moment Samira realized it had been quiet and she looked down to see that Naruto was looking ahead lips slightly pursed, the wary almost resigned look on his face all the answer she needed. They were staring at them like that because of the boy. She frowned slightly to herself, the boy's almost wary and uneasy actions in the past finally starting to making sense to her. What had happened to create such open hostility though? She glanced at him through the corner of her eye to see the flash of bitterness on the boy's face. Did everyone treat him like this? At the thought, Samira found herself swallowing uneasily, a pit of discomfort starting to grow in her stomach. How did he deal with this treatment she found herself wondering? Samira sighed slightly. This tense silence had gone on long enough. She undid the strap on the Erhu case before refastening it around her waist to where the instrument rested against her rear long ways, like some ninja's seemed to carry large scrolls. Naruto frowned with confusion as he watch her work before yelping in surprise as he was suddenly hefted into the air and settled on her back, piggy back style.

"Don't pay them any mind." She murmured as the boy tensed slightly from where he sat. She could feel his unease through the way his grip on her shoulders tightened.

"What do you mean?" he asked, the forced cheer in his voice making the young woman have to hold back a wince. It was clear that he didn't want to talk about this. In fact Samira didn't want to talk about this either, but it would be foolish to pretend that she hadn't noticed. Deciding to be forward with him, she began to speak quietly.

"Naruto, I don't know what happened to make them dislike you, and I'm not going to ask what happened, but just know that I don't think that there's anything wrong with you. You seem like a normal boy to me, so I don't know what crawled up their butts and died." She said quietly to the boy, whose eyes went wide in shock before he sputtered into laugher, a hand shooting out to cover his mouth as he worked to stifle his outburst. Samira shot him a warm grin over her shoulder before bouncing him a little as a grin began to spread across the blonde's mouth, eye becoming fond as he regarded the woman.

"Thanks Samira-chan," he said as he got comfortable, resting his chin against her shoulder as she continued to walk along the road. She chuckled, giving him a playful nudge with her cheek, as she tried to push away the uncertainty that she was feeling while continuing to walk down the road toward the academy.

After seeing that display from the villagers, should she really be leaving him?

* * *

Samira flashed the passing people a cheerful grin as she played away on the erhu, the happy tune of The Entertainer chirping brightly in the air. It seemed to amuse the children that passed to no end, smiling parents pausing to drop off coins and bills as their children chapped excitedly and danced along. She came to the end of the song and the people put more bills in her case as she bowed gratefully and flashed them all smiles at their generosity. Putting up the instrument briefly she got herself something to drink as she took to the shade in a quieter area of the village near a park that was only a few blocks from the academy. Patting the sweat from her brow, the young woman couldn't help but frown slightly as her previously squashed worries, for the blond haired ball of sunshine named Naruto, once more came to mind. She grimaced as she thought back to how the people looked at him yesterday.

She assumed that he got that all the time since from the way he had reacted, or _hadn't_ reacted for that matter. In fact, now that she thought of it… he had tensed up when he had let his name slip… and tensed up once more when she had spotted the whisker marks on his face. When she had merely greeted him politely, and called the whiskers cute, each time he had flashed her blinding grin. Where things really that bad for him here? What if it just wasn't nasty looks he was getting? Is that why he lived by himself instead of in an orphanage with a caretaker? Is that why the only thing he ate was cheep noodles?! He was malnourished for god's sake! His cloths where old and threadbare! What if… he was being actively hurt by these people? At the thought, Samira's eyes narrowed when she remembered how the drunk that had attacked her had staggered towards the boy threateningly. The kid had just tensed but stood his ground, as if he had had to deal with stuff like that before. The more Samira thought of it, the more she seemed to notice thing that just hadn't caught her attention before and the angrier she got. What the hell?! How could they just-?! Why where they-?! Ugh!

Snarling to herself she leaped off the bench she had been sitting on to pace agitatedly in the shade of the tree. The biggest question for her though, was _**why**_? What the hell had this kid done that could cause such behavior? It seemed he was a prankster but from what she had gleamed from the boy his pranks where more geared towards humiliation than actually harming someone. It just didn't make sense. Why did they hate him?

After a while Samira managed to calm down. Sitting under the tree with a sigh she took a swig of her drink, dabbing some more sweat from her brow as she regarded the cloud scattered blue sky with mild annoyance, that slowly began to shift to worry. Now that she thought of it, he had taken her into his home fairly easily, without much debate or question. Was he really that lonely? She though back to how the simplest things made him beam like the sun at her, happiness clear in his eyes. She swallowed uneasily past the lump in her throat. Yes, he was, and that posed a serious risk to him, both situational and emotional. If she left, he would probably think that it was because of him, considering how the village treated him and would probably be more hurt by her abandonment than any harsh words she could have said to him. What if he took it to heart and became depressed or volatile? Better yet, what if someone came along and tried to take advantage of him because of his loneliness? What if it was someone who was just going to use him and toss him to the side when they were done, leaving him in broken little pieces? The thought had Samira's blood boiling as her protectiveness of the boy began to skyrocket. He didn't even seem to have a guardian, or a mentor, someone to teach him how to eat healthy or to take care of his home or to… play games with, laugh with, eat meals with, tell jokes to. He was utterly alone. Samira sighed tiredly, knowing that with the way her thoughts were going… she wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, at least not without the kid in tow. Her resolve began to grow steadily like seeping magma before cooling and solidifying into a solid determination as unmovable and as unyielding as stone itself. She was going to look after that boy, come hell or high water and she didn't care who tried to get in her way. She would find a way, one way or the other.

Decision finally made Samira gave a long suffered sigh before getting up, her erhu in tow. Well, if she was going to be staying she needed to go out and make some more money, maybe try to find a job somewhere. Despite her initial worries, no one seemed to suspect a thing, despite the believe that she had, that the doctors in charge of experimentation on people like her would try and hunt her down. The village wasn't on lock down and she hadn't even been stopped once by patrolling units of ninja. If this was the case, then it was more likely than not that these doctors hadn't been experimenting with the complete knowledge of the village, and that it was possibly an illegal operation that they had been running. At the thought she couldn't help but feel a bit hopeful. Well, at least there was hope that she might be able to stay hiding in plain sight here, with Naruto. With a grin she departed from the park. After all, she couldn't be a burden. Besides, some more practice with the erhu would calm her mind. All the more reason to go and play, plus she needed to pick up groceries. It was clear that Naruto needed to be fed something other than ramen for a change, and with her doing the shopping, she wouldn't be overcharged. Hopefully she could put some meat on his bones with some of her good southern cooking.

* * *

A week seemed to pass quickly for the young woman as she and the boy seemed to settle into a comfortable routine. Samira would make breakfast and walk Naruto to the academy in the mornings, before stopping by the academy to take him to lunch and to pick him up when he was finally out of class for the day. Then they would either go to the house, to a park, or training field to practice taijutsu and Naruto's weapon throwing. Samira was embarrassingly bad at throwing the weapons but after some teasing, Naruto began to show her how to throw them properly, though it was clear he needed to improve the skill as well. Naruto was coming along nicely in the fighting style she was teaching him, Wado ryu as well as wing Chung. This after all wasn't her first time teaching so she knew what common mistakes to look out for and helped him along patiently as she explained the purpose of certain movements and the reasoning behind certain parts of the forms before teaching them to him, always trying to impress on him the important parts so he could either take advantage to the forms when fighting or mineralizing damage when he took a hit. After their practice, the two of them would go home and Samira would make dinner for the two of them as they talked about this, that, or the other while she cooked. She was starting to teach the blond how to cook as well, though he had managed to set water on fire, which Samira would have found amusing if she hadn't been freaking out at the time. Tonight was no different as she made a vegetable stir fry before shutting off the stove and moving the wok to another eye so that it could cool. Naruto was chattering on about something funny that had happened in class as Samira frowned slightly at her hand, which was starting to twitch. _What the hell?_ She thought as the digits continued to spasm. Naruto fell silent as the two of them stared at her hand **_until the twitching stopped_**.

"Samira-chan?" Naruto finally asked, his voice hesitant with worry as he snuck a glance at the young woman's face. Her expression was grim and clearly worried. "Are you ok?"

"I don't know Naruto. Hopefully," she muttered before shaking off the unease that was starting to creep up on her. It was another week before the muscle spasms started up again, this time when she had been eating at Ichiraku's ramen stand with Naruto for lunch. It had been her whole arm this time and she had nearly knocked over her blow as the muscles jerked painfully, Naruto helping her hold down the twitching arm before it could continue. Needless to say, the random spasms where starting to concern Naruto who had insisted that she go to the hospital. Samira shook her head firmly later that night as she finished making dinner.

"I can't Naruto. It's not safe. Walking around the village is one thing, but going to the hospital is completely different. There, they take blood and keep information of whose DNA is whose, and the people I'm hiding from will be able to find me easily that way. I wish I could go, since this is pretty scary but I think it would be scarier if they found me here with you. I'm sure they would be able to figure things out and decide to target you. I don't want you to get hurt." She said as she finished putting the food on their plates and sat down at the table along with the boy. Naruto started to scowl.

"Don't worry about me Samira-chan. It would take more than a few thugs to take me down." He said stoutly. Samira sighed, knowing that she would have to use another angle to get Naruto to stop nagging her about her health.

"Naruto, if they capture you, than I would do whatever it took to keep you safe, even letting them take me quietly, ok? It's better this way," she murmured as the boy deflated slightly before reluctantly nodding. She knew she wasn't telling him everything, about how she had been taken to the hospital right off the bat when first entering the village, or how the people in the hospital would quickly realize who she was.

"Samira-chan," began Naruto, his voice a bit hesitant.

"Hmm?"

"Where are you from?" he asked making the young woman pause slightly in her eating to regard him seriously.

"Truthfully?" she asked, a hint of pain in her eyes. The blond regarded her gravely for a moment before nodding. Her shoulders slumped slightly and she sighed tiredly. This was not a conversation she wanted to have, and she had been delaying the boy's questions for a while now. She supposed she might as well tell him now.

"Naruto, you have to understand that I didn't want to come here. I was force to come to the village under a series of… well, crazy circumstances," she said as she shot him a wry grin as Naruto frowned slightly but nodded, clearly listening. Samira's lips pursed slightly. "…I'm not actually sure how to say this but…" she made a face as she barked out a harsh laugh. "Naruto, I'm not from this world." She finally spat out as she leaned back in her chair to regard the boy seriously. He frowned, clearly not understanding.

"What?" he asked. Samira had to fight back an exasperated sigh.

"Naruto, I'm not from this planet, this universe, this… dimension, or whatever the heck you want to call it. I was in an accident and then all of a sudden I ended up here in this world. By all means I should have drowned to death," she said seriously as she regarded the blond whose eyes had widened in surprise before a confused frown dotted his features.

"Then… where are you from?" he asked, sounding completely perplexed. Samira couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well, I wish I had a map so I could show you what my… world looks like" she said with a helpless shrug before continuing. "Anyways, where I come from is called the planet earth, and I was born in the continent called North America, in the country called the United States of America, in the state called Tennessee." She said as the boy's expression became very confused.

"Say what?" Samira chuckled before refining her explanation. That how the rest of the night went, with Samira talking about the world she was from and Naruto asking tons of questions.

Since there weren't any ninjas, what did people do for work, where did they live, what did they eat? All sorts of things. She had done her best to answer everything he could think of, including the question of language when he remembered that she originally spoke a very odd form of Japanese. Naruto's expression became awed when she started speaking in English to him before she started to teach him the letters of the alphabet and a few words. The evening was overall rather pleasant though she was glad tomorrow was Saturday since they stayed up so late. It was nice to be able to talk about her home without worry that the boy would disbelieve her or mistrust her. Sadly Naruto was a bit too trusting but she couldn't help but feel grateful that he listened so earnestly and would ask her anything he could think of.

It was the next day however that would change everything. It started out pretty normal with the two of them in the kitchen, Naruto half asleep at the table as Samira fried some eggs and bacon. Then she collapsed into uncontrollable spasms.

Samira shrieked at the pain as the boy shot out from his chair to rush to her side.

"Samira-chan!" he cried as he reached her side, the woman whimpering as her jaw locked shut, blood pooling in her mouth since she bite her tongue, thankfully not all the way through, but enough to bleed.

"Samira-chan!" Naruto cried in panic.

"N-Naruto," she gasped out, blood dripping down her chin and out of the corner of her mouth as her panicked eyes locked with his. She didn't want to die. Not so soon.

* * *

**20 minutes later**

"JIJI!" yelled Naruto franticly as he burst into the Hokage's office, the doors slamming open. The blonde was looking worse for wear, still in his pajamas and bare foot as he skidded to a stop in from of the surprised village leader.

"Naruto? What's happened?" he demanded, sharp eyes taking in the blood that dotted the boy's clothing and the frantic look on the child's face.

"Quick Jiji! There isn't a lot of time! I don't know what happened! One moment she was fine, and the next she was shaking on the floor! I told her to go to the hospital, but she said the bad guys would find her that way and she didn't want them to track her back to my place so you've got to make sure no one finds out about her, ok Jiji?" demanded the boy as he grabbed the elder man's hand and all but dragged his along, worry clear on the old man's features.

"Naruto, who are you talking about?" demanded the village elder as they made their way swiftly through the office, the man signaling the secretary to leave them be as they passed, also signaling his Anbu body guards to stay put. If things where as the boy described, discretion would be best. He didn't need the council finding out about a possible incident that could be blamed on the boy. The third Hokage knew that some would try and take advantage of events to make a power play if they had the chance.

"Samira-chan! She's really nice and has been staying with me for a while now. She's really special Jiji! She's not even from… ah, around here. Yeah, from Konoha, I mean. Hahaha," laughed the blonde nervously as the older man shot Naruto a sharp look at the boy's slip. The idea of the boy taking someone into his home without telling him was rather alarming, though the fact that it was a foreigner was even more alarming, however, the Hokage was starting to have a sneaking suspicion who this person was but he would have to wait and see if his suspicions where correct. They burst into the apartment, the boy immediately heading to the living room where a young woman lay on the couch. The Hokage's eye widened in surprise as he took in the pale looking young woman, who was clearly exhausted. His surprised dissolved quickly as he frowned, moving forward to kneel beside her prone form as he looked her over carefully, taking in the short red hair that was only a couple inches long.

"It was so weird jiji! She started shaking and then when it stopped she told me to put something in her mouth so she wouldn't bite off her tongue and then she accidently bit me! Her hair fell off and then started growing all red which is weird since her hair is curly and brown. Um, I'm not really sure what else happened but she passed out and I started freaking out! I kept feeling more and more tired Jiji, and then everything went dark! Then I woke up to find she was still asleep and I went and got you after moving her from the kitchen. Is she going to be ok?" demanded the blonde worriedly after speaking nonstop. The older man froze in place at the description of what had happened. Strange seizures? Her hair had fallen out? Fast hair growth of a different color and hair type that matched Naruto's mother's, after biting the boy?

_Could it be…?! _Hiruzen the third Hokage thought to himself, disturbed. Naruto had said that the woman, Samira, was not from Konoha. This wouldn't be the first time that someone from the forbidden lake had accidentally bitten someone during their metamorphosis, and changed because of the blood of the host.

He could help but sigh, feeling already a weary even though it was just morning. To think that the day had only just begun… He knew _**exactly**_ who this was. There was no way all of this could have just been a coincidence, with all the details that Naruto had just described. This sounded just like a patient from the Forbidden Lake and there was one currently missing from the Konoha Hospital, who was also a female with brown curly hair and brown eyes, like the young woman Naruto had described, who they had declared dead over three weeks. Without the proper medical equipment and healers on hand, it was unlikely that she would have been able to receive enough chakra to complete the transformation process that was brought on by her body attempting the metamorphosis.

When people from that other world, beyond the lake's waters, managed to pass through the lake their bodies began to deteriorate swiftly. This happened because the body was incompatible with this world. The interesting thing about this though, was that their bodies, instilled with the drive to survive, began to unconsciously attempt to adapt, and by adapt, their bodies tried to generate chakra. This was usually the starting point of the metamorphosis, for those people. Their bodies would begin to generate Chakra at a tremendous rate because the body had nothing in its DNA to properly augment the process, which would quickly drain the life out of the body as it began overproducing chakra, usually leading to a swift and painful death for the patient. The trick that the workers at the Lake hospital and the Konoha researchers had found, had been something that had been discovered by accident many years ago. It had been when one of the foreigners had begun to go through their transformation earlier than expected. The person had gone into seizures and had accidentally bitten a hospital worker, only to transform afterwards. They still hadn't lived long afterwards since the transformation had still taken a great toll on the body despite the body having the DNA needed to create the proper amount of chakra, but it had set the researchers at the hospital and base on the right path. After all the person's appearance had altered greatly, and the staff wanted to know why only to realized what had been taking place in the transformation process itself. It took many years of trial and error, but the staff soon came to the conclusion that the foreigners could survive the transformation IF… and I mean if… they had a compatible DNA type chosen for them, and they had a team of specialized medical ninjas feeding the patient chakra through the transformation process, to keep the body from overproducing. However to the researvher's irritation, they found that even after the metamorphosis was over with, the patient's bodies still overdrew on chakra, which would kill them eventually.

Overproducing and overdrawing chakra was a rare phenomenon with these people, since it was the body breaking itself down into energy faster than the body could handle, leading to a vicious cycle. Their bodies got used to producing more energy because of their overuse of it and thus the person in question couldn't maintain their health as the breakdown process gradually sped up over time, giving these people a few years to live at best, mostly two or three years. Indeed, it was a pity, but despite the DNA samples used to curb the breakdown rate, there was still the problem that their bodies for whatever reason needed more chakra than most to function, even if they where civilians, and their physical bodies could not handle the strain. More chakra seemed to be the key and it had been discovered that these people, if they went through monthly transfusions of chakra, lived longer than those without.

But out of all the people _**this**_ foreigner had come across, she had come across a tailed beast container (also called a jinjuriki), with huge chakra reserves for his age. Naruto would have had enough chakra to fuel her change, and from the look of it, her having red hair and all, Naruto's Uzumaki blood decided to help her along. It was probably the only reason she was alive despite having the chakra needed to fuel the change. The Uzumaki bloodline where know for their special chakra and vitality, the oldest most founding member of the Uzumaki family having lived great age, as well as Uzumaki Mito, who had lived well before the time of Konoha's founding and well into the third Hokage's reign, his reign. They had never tried giving the foreigners Uzumaki blood before. There was no telling what would happen now… All Hiruzen could hope for was that Naruto wasn't too attached to this woman. There was a possibility that she would only live a few more years, or that she wasn't a person Hiruzen could allow to live in the village. They had had some low lives come through the lake before, it wouldn't be a first time. Hiruzen would have to have blood tests and chakra readings done on her to gauge how well her body was handling everything that had happened to it so far, and to see the decay rate of her cells. He would also have to call Inoichi to come take a look through her mind to see if she was to be trusted.

"She should be fine for now Naruto. We've actually been looking for her for a while now without any luck for the past few weeks. We thought by now that she was dead," muttered the Hokage distractedly as he turned her head to the side to take in the young woman's features. Compared to the only picture they had of her, which was a bit blurry and out of focus, her features where sharper now after her change, lacking the soft baby fat that her face had had before. Her body had started drawing on the fatty tissues for energy it seemed. Her eyes where more slanted as well, making her appear to have the same eyes as the rest of the people in this world. A shift in her bone structure then? He frowned slightly, since that had never happened before in previous patients at the bases. Was there something different that had happened in this transformation? If so, what had it been?

"What?! What do you mean you thought she was dead by now?! And how do you know about her?!" demanded Naruto anxiously as the Hokage sighed to himself.

"Naruto… she's not from around here-" the blonde quickly cut off the old man.

"I know that Jiji! She's from a completely different world and- ops," muttered the boy as he shot the Hokage a worried look. The Hokage's eyebrows just rose in shock.

"She told you?" he asked, surprised. Naruto's eyes widened in surprised.

"Wait, you know about it too?" Hiruzen, the third Hokage couldn't help but blink in shock again, wishing he had his pipe. He could use a smoke to calm his nerves. Why had she told the boy?! What was she thinking? First things first though…

"We'll talk about this later, Naruto. For now, we need to take her to the hospital for-"

"No! You can't. The bad ninja will find her," cut in Naruto blocking the older man's way. Hiruzen frowned as he took in the boy sanding before him. Despite the fact that Naruto still had a bad case of bed head, with crumpled night cloths and was barefooted, the seriousness in his eyes held weight that they usually didn't carry.

"The bad ninja?" Hiruzen asked, his voice deepening slightly with concern. Naruto nodded swiftly, his face grim as he crossed his arms over his chest posture tense.

"Yeah. She said that there were some bad people after her. She was going to leave the village, but… I made her stay," said the boy quietly, looking a bit shame faced as he pursed his lips. Hiruzen's frown deepened. There where ninja after her? Who would- Hiruzen's eyes widened in realization. Danzo… if anyone would go after her, it would be him. Orochimaru wouldn't have been able to locate her that swiftly, even if he had spies strewn all throughout Konoha. Very few had known of her location in the hospital, because of the kidnapping of the other two people from the Lake. She had been placed in a special ward reserved for the treatment of Anbu Black Ops. There where sensor seals and alert seals placed over every entrance and exit that should have stopped her if she tried to leave the hospital, so someone must have either deactivated the seals with the key sequence or put a seal on her that would allow her to pass. He was the only one that Hiruzen could think of that would have the means, information and motive to do such a thing. Besides, who would think twice about her disappearing after all? Danzo could turn her into an expendable asset with the right blood mixture, cursed seals and brainwashing. The people that came from the lake where know to be rather powerful even if they didn't live long, with their affinity for every element, flexible and growing chakra coils, and their resilience to toxins since the world they came from was full of very potent toxins, most of which in the air from the cars they drove or the plants that released toxic waste into the air. The fact that this foreign race didn't originally have chakra made them physically more durable and toned in muscle mass than most shinobi since they couldn't use chakra in their world to help power their motions when they did exercise. And then there was the fact that most of the people that came through the lake where highly educated, fast learners and very sensitive to different chakras since they didn't have any in their world. Some even had training to condition and strengthen their muscles for sports, or taijutsu disciplines along with everything else in their already large arsenal of information. There had been musicians, warriors, engineers, fast food workers, bums, doctors… you name it, and it was more likely than not that they had traveled through the lake and into this world. So many skills and specializations, Hiruzen's head swam every time he thought about how elite these people where. Hiruzen shook his head, berating himself for not realizing sooner the potential threat taking the young woman from the lake would pose. If Root had been able to take her then he should have made the security tighter... The question however was how she was able to get away from them… the idea made Hiruzen frown. There was something about this situation that just wasn't adding up right… To get away from kidnappers, what had she done? She must be one of those unusually skilled and intelligent individuals if she had been able to accomplish such a feat and stay undetected so long even in the heart of a ninja village itself. The thought made the older man feel rather uncomfortable considering the young woman had been staying almost three weeks with the boy he considered his grandson and ward in all but name. Naruto had said that she was nice, but what if she had been using the boy? It didn't sound like it, but he was still going to have Inoichi use the mind walking techniques on her to determine how she thought and what kind of person she was. From there they would figure out what to do regarding her future, even if it would be a short lived one. He would have to have one of his shinobi in the blood labs run a confidential series of test on her cells decay rate to see how long they would be expecting her to live. He would probably have to pull Nara Shikaku, his jonin commander and head of the Nara Clan, his chief strategist into the mess as well, since the man was a brilliant tactician, who was bound to notice what he missed when making his plans. Finally coming to his decision, the man nodded.

"Alright Naruto, we'll make sure to keep this quiet, but we are going to have to take some precautions for her safety," said the aging man as the boy nodded, clearly relieved. His tense shoulder seemed too loosen and Hiruzen couldn't help but notice that they boy seemed to look healthier and more filled out then the last time he had seen him.

"As long as she's safe Jiji." Said the boy as he can to sit beside the sleeping form of the young woman, the boy messing with the blanket until he was satisfied that she was considerably covered and warm. Hiruzen felt his heart clenching at the sight and he found himself dearly praying in his heart that this woman would turn out to ba the amazing person the boy seemed to think that she was. It would only be heart retching and infuriating for the older man if she wasn't, and the last thing she wanted to do was infuriate the old man. Hiruzen couldn't help but notice that they boy's clothing seemed new as well to better fit his growing frame but shook off the thought.

Making up his mind the Hokage turned to leave.

"I'll be back in a bit Naruto. There are some things that I need to take care of before I return and I am going to have to hunt down a trustworthy doctor while I'm out. I will be returning with Anbu as well to look after the two of you in case any of the enemy ninja attempt to appear again," said the older man as Naruto shot him a cheerful smile, though Hiruzen could see the glimmer of relief and gratitude in the boy's eyes.

"No sweat! I'll be seeing you around here in no time Jiji," he said as Hiruzen cracked a grin. It faded into something more serious as the door of the apartment closed behind him. He had a lot of work to do, but the first thing that needed to be done was to get Yamanaka Inoichi.

* * *

Inoichi frowned slightly as he looked down at the unconscious young woman that was on the couch in the Uzumaki's living room. The room was dark with dusk, the curtains drawn to hide the presence of those in the apartment. The older blond man knelt silently to take in the features of the young woman before him, his gaze lingering on her red hair.

"And you want me to mind read her?" he asked as he shot a questioning look towards his leader. Hiruzen nodded grimly as the Anbu behind him motioned that perimeter was clear before melting into eh shadows.

"Yes. Now would be best. Naruto is currently asleep and we can talk without worries of being overheard. I've already placed silencing seals on the living room," rumbled the older man around his pipe as the blond haired Yamanaka's lips pursed slightly, in thought.

"How far back do you want me to go into her mind?" he asked as Hiruzen frowned thoughtfully at the man's question.

"My biggest concern is that she is trying to use the boy, and will hurt him or bend his affections towards her for more nefarious matters. I also want to see who these 'enemy ninja' are," he said as the long haired blond man nodded.

"Very well. I will begin then, Hokage-sama," he said before placing his hand on her damp brow. What Inoichi didn't expect was how swiftly he was pulled into her mind.

**Mind walk**

…

Samira, a year and a half old cringed as her father all but towered over her as he changed her diaper.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded irritably. Because you're scary, thought the little girl though she didn't say anything as the man continued to change her diaper in annoyance.

…

Samira was eight as her father came to pick her up from school. They were talking about something the man clearly amused by her annoyance as the little girl tried to say something sharp.

"Well, I bought you a kite. It's in the trunk. Since you said that though, you're not going to get it." Samira couldn't help but feel anger and mild humiliation creeping up on her as she glared angrily out the window of the car. She found out later that there wasn't even a kite.

…

"You're weird." Said the blond pig tailed little girl. Samira regarded the girl blankly though on the inside she was trying to fight back how wounded she felt.

…

"We're talking about band stuff, **_you_ **wouldn't get it," said Will as the other three girls at the lunch table nodded, their condescending tones barely hidden. Samira couldn't help the anger that and frustration that was rising up in her as the group of people she had thought where her friends continued to exclude her.

…

"Can I get your phone number?" Asked Samira. "Sure" said the blonde girl that seemed pretty cool. It turned out to be the rejection hotline number. After a good bout of crying, Samira took true joy in scaring the everlasting shit out of the girl. There had been a pitch black bathroom under the bleachers that where next to the schools track where recess was held, the entire thing windowless and filled with echo's at the slightest sound. Roaring in the dark as your shadowy form raced towards the people coming in tended to send the people fleeing in terror fairly swiftly. It had been particularly satisfying for Samira to see Michelle to be the one running.

…

Samira lay awake in her bed in the dark trying not to cringe as the screaming and yelling that was happening down stairs. The tears started soon and soon it felt like she would choke on the lump in her throat as she struggled to keep her crying silent. Why couldn't they just get along? Why did they always have to fight? And the drinking… when they started drinking it was usually her Q to go hideaway in her room and hope that it was clear when she came out again.

...

"Samira, your father abandoned us using a **_car_**. **_He left us_**. He used the car to **_plead bankruptcy_ **so he didn't have to pay child support, and those bastards, his relative, **_your_ **relatives showed him how to do it. He doesn't care sweet heart." And it was true. He really didn't. He kept throwing her to the wolves again and again so he could save a pretty penny for his pockets. The wolves in public school, the wolves in his family, and the wolves in the social gatherings he dragged her to so he could show off her **_mother's_ **hard work. Of course he would **_claim_** that it was _**his**_ work too, that he had a straight A student who was very well mannered and polite. But when people looked the other way, he would go back to doing whatever he usually did. ignoring her or telling her to go away because she was annoying or he was busy.

…

"Samira, do you know where your mother is?" demanded her father. She was thirteen. "No." "Tell me Samira. You're mother is drunk right now. She could get into an accident and die. Do you want that to happen? Now call your mother," said the man as Samira's eyes widened in horror before she complied. She tried not to cry hoping her mother was safe. Turns out he was just trying to use her to find the woman when she had left to get away from the infuriating man. turns out he would do this to her again and again and again until her mother no longer picked up her calls, and the man would get in her head over and over again until all she could do was worry.

…

Samira was laughing with Antonia as the two of them joked around. It was just so pleasant spending time with her best friend, even if Tonia was obsessed with Anime and Japanese. Samira rolled her eyes and continued learning a few new words from her friend, before Antonia began to babble excitedly on her dream trip to Japan-

…

Samira glared angrily at the alcohol bottles that were strewn around the living room and kitchen. She was age fifteen. It went without saying that after all this time she was starting to hate both of her parents dearly. She no longer worried about their health like she used to. What was the point? They were just going to drink themselves to death at this rate and all her pleading and crying and worrying wouldn't do a fucking thing. She had given up on them. The rage and the grief in her chest was crushing. So was the inevitable.

…

Samira woke to pounding on the door. She blinked blearily and looked at her clock to find that it was three am in the morning. There where red and blue lights flashing against her blinds and the ceiling of her room and she peaked out the curtains to see cop cars outside. The pounding started up again, echoing through the silent house and fear began to coil in her gut as she went downstairs, on feather light footsteps, afraid to open the door. She only opened it because she was supposed to. After all, there where cops outside. She found two police officers out front, on the porch.

"Samira Cloud?" asked the officer. Samira nodded hesitantly as she glanced furtively between the two.

"We need you to come with us. There's been an accident." Samira's eyes widened as her thoughts fled, the dread in her stomach starting to grow steadily before she choke out a question.

"What happened?" the officers continued to regard her almost apathetically.

"You're parents have been in a serious accident. Your mother is gone. Your father is currently in a coma."

It still wouldn't hit Samira for another three months. When it did, rage and hate and guilt and crushing grief would nearly eat her alive.

**Mind walk Ends**

Inoichi flinched as he opened his eyes, before blinking blearily at the living room. The Hokage waited patiently as the man shook his head before groaning slightly to the village leader's growing unease.

"Inoichi what happened," the older man demanded, face grim as the Yamanaka cringed, nursing a head ache.

"I lost control of the jutsu and ended up getting rapid flashes of strong memories." He said with another wince, before heaving a wry chuckle. "I think it was her subconscious that caused that. From the little bit I could see past the memories, she had to hide a lot of information, about her family and herself she deemed as shameful, from her peers growing up. She seemed to have the ingrained instinct to hide information that would be considered 'deep,' or 'personal,'" he said as his headache began to fade rapidly. The Hokage's eyebrows rose in surprise at the news, before furrowing.

"Is that normal for a civilian?" he asked as Inoichi's face began to relax. If anything, that sounded like a ninja tendency.

"I believe it was circumstantial, Hokage-sama. She's actually rather open to an extent with the people around her though at the same time she is very much able to keep them at arm's length, without them knowing, from what I could tell. Her boisterous and childlike attitude seemed to throw them off of how she really felt." The Hokage hummed in thought before speaking up once more.

"And do you think that you will be able to perform a proper mind walk this time?" he asked as Inoichi nodded.

"Yes. The first time she caught me off guard. This time however, I will make sure that her mind doesn't pick up on my presence in her consciousness, so that way I won't be hit by a barrage of painful memories this time." The Hokage nodded, satisfied with the blonde man's answer before Inoichi once more closed his eyes and set his hand on her head to take in her memories.

**Mind walk**

_Her and Naruto_, he thought. Inoichi nearly winced under the barrage of information that assailed him when he tried to summon memories of them together. Man, she really loved that kid. He could tell from the emotions that well up in her throughout her memories that she really cared about him. He watched as she would fret over what the blonde boy would eat, that his cloths where too thin, that _**he**_ was too thin, that he had a scratch and if she kissed the cut it would make it better. The boy from what he could tell didn't mind how much she fussed over him and took care of him after getting used to it.

Inoichi nearly winced at the first memories she had of when she had started to coddle the boy, how much it broke her heart whenever disbelief or surprise crossed his features at something that should have been normal for such an adorable kid, like getting a hug, or being tucked into bed or having lunch made for you. Inoichi couldn't help but laugh at the times she would show Naruto something cool and the boy's eyes would widen comically before her began ranting quiet loudly and happily over it. Watching the first time Naruto had tried cookies had been a hoot and Inoichi found himself wanting to try some himself, before the memory passed to reveal another, about her looking over scrolls in the living room as Naruto explained their contents and her rapidly absorbing the knowledge of the scrolls. He could see the way she shifted through the information and how she reached her conclusions based on the information available as she learned.

_She would make a fine ninja,_ Inoichi thought as he moved over to another memory, this one of her watching Naruto perform his Kata's in the academy style. _This is all wrong,_ Inoichi thought as he watched the boy perform the practiced but awkward movements. _Someone taught him the form wrong,_ Inoichi realized in disbelief and anger before the rest of the memory showed him how Samira swore the blonde off from using that style before proceeding to show the boy another style. Relief and gratitude filled Inoichi before there was a tug on a memory and he found his curiosity getting the best of him.

_Her and Antonia._ What rich warm memories, filled with happiness and the love between two that where considered sisters in all but blood. Her friend was everything she needed that she wasn't. Antonia was loud and brash and outgoing and socially apt, sleekly weaving her way with words and wit and yet as light and as carefree as a bubble with a humble is mischievous spirit. There were two sides to the same coin, Inoichi realized as he watched the two of them meet in middle school before becoming friends. He watched as Antonia chased off the bullies, and taught Samira that it was ok to be different, that she was ok to be herself, and what it meant to really have friends. Even through the memories, Inoichi could see the perceptiveness and wisdom in the eyes of a face far too young, Antonia's face. He watched as Samira began to open up the pit that had withheld her emotions, her heart, her soul, and he watched as she began to make fierce progress finding out just who she was, through the pain and the joy, and just what made her tick as she grew into herself.

And apparently she loved to **_read_ **porn. She found **_watching_ **it booooring! Inoichi blanched at some of the disturbingly arousing memories he received when he blundered upon her explorations of sexuality when she was a teen before moving on, though he was thankful that she had been wise enough even at that age to know that she should do that exploring with herself, not with some inept foolish boy her age. Turned out that she hadn't had sex yet thought she defiantly knew just how to pleasure herself and greatly enjoyed explicit erotic literature. Inoichi was also glad that he couldn't have a nosebleed during a mind walk. _She would kill me if she ever realized that I had seen all __**THAT**__ while in her head,_ Inoichi thought before moving on to some memories that the Hokage had asked about. That's when he found it.

_Her meeting Ibiki and the Director._ Her disbelief at the entire thing, her fear, and her gut instincts telling her that something was very very wrong with this situation, that these men didn't care about little things like people's consent to do god knows what with them. About how being even too close to that grey haired boy had sent her stomach in knots as her instincts screamed for her to _GETAWAYNOWBADBADBAD!_ Then Ibiki was flying through the trees, and thunder rumbled. Oh how she hated thunder like this, being out in the open, with no safety no shelter to shield her from the horrible thunder.

_He was her meeting the doctor at the hospital._ Again, there was the obvious lack of regard to the fact that she was a fellow human being, and the maniacal gleam that she had seen in his eyes, the doctor's eyes only served to drive that home. She was already formulating a plan of escape even back then, and Inoichi watched with growing admiration as her memories progress. He watched her realize where she was in the hospital as she slowly began picking up on the differences between the two languages, the two Japanese that where so alike yet so different, and how she realized that she was being drugged at night. He watched as she chased away a ninja's nightmares, and soothed the silver haired copy ninja, Hatake Kakashi back to sleep, the night of her escape, making sure to note to himself that he would have to speak with the copy ninja sometime, since the man was due for some therapy anyways. He watched her leave without problem from the hospitals, the seals not even reacting as she walked past them obliviously, and he watched how Naruto had raced out of the alleyway to save her from the drunk that had accosted her. Skimming through a few more memories of how things had progressed from there and her thoughts and feelings regarding the boys predicament only served to solidify Inoichi's understanding of the extent she was willing to go to protect the boy and make him happy. He watched as she played away long hours with beautiful song to make the money needed to put some meat on the boy's bones, how she would do her best to provide for herself and the boy despite the fact that she was barely able to make enough for herself. He watched how the boy had weaseled his way into her heart to begin with and Inoichi found something in himself growing slightly fonder of the boy.

**Mind walk ends**

With that, Inoichi pulled himself from her memories before finding himself back in his body. Blinking blearily he looked to the Hokage before flashing him a soft smile.

"Well? How did it go? What did you find?" asked the hokage as Inoichi eased himself further back into his seat to get comfortable.

"A lot Hokage-sama. I don't even know where to start, sir," he admitted easily as the older men frowned, fearing the worst.

"Very well. Then tell me, what are her intentions towards the boy, who where these enemy ninja, and how did she get away from these enemies?" asked the older man. Inoichi sighed as he tugged on a strand of his long dark blonde hair before his teal gaze met the Hokage's, a wide fond grin breaking over his face.

"She has every intention of protecting that boy with her life, spoiling him rotten and teaching him important lessons that every kid needs to learn. She's now his self appointed guardian, pretty much. Oh, and she's currently teaching him to taijutsu forms, and trying to help him with his ninja studies." He said as the Hokage gave a sigh of relief as the Hokage's smile grew to match his own before he decided to continue.

"The boy is very fond of her as well. They really do care about one another. As for the enemy ninja," Inoichi paused his gaze becoming grim as the Hokage regarded him with intense eyes, "The enemy was _**us**_." Hiruzen blinked in surprise.

"I'm sorry?" he ask, confused before Inoichi decided to elaborate.

"She picked up on how inhuman she was being treated by everyone that knew where she was from, such as her doctors, the medic that treated her when she first got out of the lake, the Lake Director, and the doctor at the hospital that would be in charge of all the tests run on her. The idiots here didn't even tell her what the tests would be for, just said it was for research and she promptly came to the conclusion that we were going to start experimenting on her since she was from another world, and decided to escape before things got bad. How ironic, is it not?" asked Inoichi with a wry smile though it was tight, and hard. How ironic that she was viewed them as if they where the mad experimenting scientists, like they were Orochimaru. "The thing though, was that she was right to extent Hokage-sama. She figured out that they where drugging the night food at the hospital sir. It's not her fault for coming to that conclusion. I would have probably done the same myself if I had been in her shoes sir. The doctors weren't even telling her a damn thing, just barging into her room to take blood or do some minor tests before hurrying off. If I may be so bold sir, I think she probably made the right choice by leaving. She has good sense and a smart head on her shoulders sir, and would probably make an exceptional ninja sir." He said as Hiruzen's eyebrows rose in surprise before s frown dotted his brow in confusion.

"If she was the one to let herself out, then how did she get out without setting off the seals?" he asked as Inoichi grimaced and shook his head.

"I don't know sir. The seals didn't even react when she went past them. Though I would like to mention sir that it seemed there was a small hiccup in her escape. I believe jonin Hatake Kakashi is _**still**_ suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome sir and it's showing its self in nightmares sir. She had to stop by and sooth him until she was certain that he wouldn't wake and cause enough of a fuss to wake the hospital staff," at this Hiruzen's eye brows furrowed in thought before the man sighed deeply.

He knew that Kakashi still had left over pains lingering after all these years but he hadn't thought that the man had nightmares anymore. After Kakashi's teammate Obito died saving Kakashi, it had taken a toll on the young teen's mental health and when Rin had jumped in front of one of Kakashi's lethal attacks, causing him to kill her, he began exhibiting signs of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Then Kakashi's sensei, the fourth Hokage died to save Konoha during the Kyubi attack. After that event Kakashi had withdrawn from everyone as he sank into the depths of Anbu, taking mission after mission for the darker side of the ninja forces. But it had been years, and Kakashi had been doing just fine in his psyche evaluations. To think that he was exhibiting signs of PTSS again… It seemed he was going to have to pay the man a visit, wherever he had run off to this time. He had hoped that he would take a ninja team... maybe this year he would give the jonin an extra push and insist that he take a team. it would do him a world of good.

"Hmm," hummed the Hokage in thought as Inoichi quietly watched the gears turn in his commander's head.

"What are your thoughts on this Inoichi?" the older man finally intoned before returning his level gaze to the Yamanaka Clan head, who was currently deep in thought. Everything he had seen so far seemed to be pointing him in one specific direction. The fact that she had already made her first kill and had made peace with that only seemed to help confirm his thoughts.

"I think that she would be an integral part of this village sir, and that we should accept her into our ninja ranks," he said slowly as Hiruzen's eyebrows rose in surprise as he drew the pipe from his mouth to let out a haze of smoke.

"Oh? Is that so?" he asked, mildly thrown for a loop as Inoichi nodded.

"Yes sir. She is strong resourceful and sly in both mind and body. She can learn what she needs to fast enough and I have no doubt that with her natural talent's of observation along with her past experiences teaching herself an instrument and how to draw, that she will be able to become a formidable ninja with the right training in a fraction of the time it might take one of the others that has come out of the lake before." He said as Hiruzen's eyebrows rose in surprise once more. that was not what he expect to hear from Inoichi. what did those skills have to do with anything?

"How to draw? I do not see how this could be an integral part of becoming a ninja Inoichi," the Hokage said in a light joking tone as Inoichi blink in surprise after realizing his choice of words before grimacing, a slight blush dotting his cheeks. that must have sounded silly to one such as the Hokage.

"Well, you see Hokage-sama, to improve a skill like art or playing an instrument that from ground zero, one must constantly be adjusting their observations and refining their techniques. This has taught her the finer points of observation and understanding that she would need to produce accurate and precise genjutsu or the skill needed to improve her Ninjutsu. Maybe even the finesse needed for seal work. Her hand is very steady and she has worked with writing kanji with brush and water before." Said the blond man a bit huffily as the Hokage's teasing face slowly morphed into something more serious.

"Inoichi, do you know what you ask?" questioned the older man quietly, "We would have to come up with a soundproof cover for her for her to become a part of this village, and even then, it would be difficult for this to work! She is from an entirely different world. She would have to learn a language, a culture, our writing and even then, years and years worth of skills in a brief amount of time."

"But she already knows the language, Sir," Inoichi said excitedly as he sat forward in his chair, teal eyes sparkling with excitement, "It's the main reason why she passed undetected through the village. No one was expecting her to be able to speak out language, much less play an instrument from our world. Because of these any observations passed over her and moved on to more promising individuals that could have been the person we were hunting for. She already knows a lot about our culture, and she even knows enough taijutsu for that to be pulled off as her specialization if it came to that. As for our writing system, I could probably instill that in her mind using a skill transfer jutsu sir." Hiruzen's eyebrows climbed even higher. So this was how she had remained undetected in the village? By hiding in plain sight? Brilliant as it was simple, he noted as he mulled over the fact that she could speak their language and had so many skills already. Well, that certainly changed everything.

"As for her cover?" Hiruzen questioned as he puffed away on his pipe.

"Nara Shikaku. You know how brilliant he is with coming up with plans and creating tactics. I suspect that you where thinking about calling him into this long before I even began the mind walk, if she proved useful, isn't that true, Sir?" said the blonde with a sly grin as the older man huffed in annoyance before starting to puff on his pipe irritably. Inoichi's chuckle filled the apartment as the Hokage shot him an annoyed look.

"Hmph! Very well then. We'll be pulling Shikaku into the loop." Said the older man as Inoichi sent him an apologetic grin to which the Hokage merely shook his head at irritably. His jonin could be so irritating sometimes.

* * *

Omake  
**"Mother trucker"** grumbled the young woman in English as she tore angrily at the piece of paper she had been writing on. Kakashi looked up, his expression clearly stating him puzzlement at the young woman's actions. Fliscent merely yanked on a lock of hair furiously, an occasional habit of hers when she got frustrated.

"Everything ok?" asked the silver haired man, his tone questioning. Fliscent just sighed as she crossed her arms, looking at the floor with petulant distant eyes.

"No. I can't get this stupid chapter done. Ugh! Why does writing have to be so bloody complicated!" she growled out before laying back to sprawl across the bed so she could glare sulkily at a random spot on the wall, a pillow crushed to her chest.

_Hmm, I'm getting the odd feeling that I should be running away right now,_ Kakashi mused silently as he regarded his temporary charge warily. It wasn't often Fliscent was in a bad mood around him but when she was… he had to fight back a shudder as he shook his head and squared his shoulders slightly. No, he used to be an Anbu Captain, the famed Kakashi no Sharingan who had copied over a thousand techniques with his gifted eye, a top rated assassin and last of the legendary Hatake Family legacy. He was sure that he could handle Fliscent's mood swings, or at the very least distract her from whatever was making her mad.

"Well, have you tried talking to other authors about the problems you are having?" he asked as he twisted in his seat to regard the sulking woman carefully. She looked at him sidelong, her irritable expression still in place.

"Yes, Kakashi. I talked to Jiraiya," She grit out tightly. _Ah. Then she should be able to handle this from here then. She doesn't need my help,_ thought the silver haired man.

"Hmm. Ok then. How did it go?" he questioned as his attention began to drift back to his book. He was sure that she would get over this mood of hers in a moment now that he had distracted her. His precious book however needed his attention more.

"Unhelpful. All Jiraiya could give me points on was writing smut, and that wasn't what I'm going to be working on," she said irritably.

"Mmm, that's nice." Kakashi muttered, clearly not listening. Fliscent could feel a tick starting to throb in her temple as her blood pressure and anger began to rise.

"If you don't even care then why give me stupid suggestions that are a waste of time?!" Fliscent snapped angrily as she sat up sharply, eyes deadly as they locked in the famous copy cat who was sitting in the chair at the table where she had left the rest of her finished writing. He blinked as he looked away from his book, eyes blank.

"Hmm? Did you say something?" he asked distractedly. A shudder ran up his spine at the resulting growl that came from the bed and his eyes widened as they registered the furious red head sitting crouched on the mattress ready to spring. _**Oh shit!**_ He thought to himself as he took in the eyes that where slowly turning red and the floating red strand of hair that surrounded her as angry energy seemed to crackle in the air around her.

"Kakashi?" she growled out as the man began to sweat bullets and attempted to slowly ease away from the angry female.

"Y-yes Fliscent-chan?" he asked with fake cheer, his voice strained. A feral grin lit her face that had his heart in his throat in terror in the next second.

"Run," she hissed out as the sadistic smile curved her lips into something dark and feral. Without hesitation the man took off running, the furious female hot on his heels.

* * *

**NOTE: the story _'Unlikely Love,'_ is set almost a year or so before Naruto graduates from the academy, take about three months or so. Samira is going to be integral and you can't just expect a character to sudden get super powerful without some really intensive training which she will have to go through to bring her up to par for the standards that are set by the story. Still trying to decide what kind of character she will be. **

**Will she be a ninja? **

**If so what will she be? Will she be: A brawler? Mass destruction? Healer? Seals Master? Trapper? Seduction specialist? Poison master? Genjutsu master? Ninjutsu specialist? Taijutsu user? Weapons master? Sabotage? Reconnaissance? Spy? Hermit? Sage? Bijuu container? Good? Bad? **

**Or will she be a civilian?**

**What would she do? Be a: Musician? Artist? Administrative worker? Writer? Editor? Chef? Retail worker? Waitress? Doctor? Nurse? Architect? Physicist? Engineer? Mathematician? Movie producer? Screen writer? Actress? A rock star? A drummer? Merchant? What?**

**Pft! Who are we kidding?! Of course she's going to be a freaking ninja! Though she might actually try juggling several jobs, both civilian and ninja work. After all, she's starting from ground zero and needs da money honey! Hahaha. ^_o **

**No, serious. Ninja. Now go review! Remember! Late birthday gift! :D**


	5. Halloween Special!

**WARNING: 18 and older only!**

LEMON:LEMON:LEMON:LEMON:LEMON:LEMON:LEMON:LEMON:LEMON:LEMON:LEMON:LEMON:LEMON:LEMON:LEMON:LEMON:LEMON:LEMON:LEMON:LEMON:

Moonlit madness: A Halloween Special

I sighed as I walked down the dimly lit road, the gently slope making me speed up as gravity pulled me forward, into uneven steps, my knee high boots slapping against the ground before it evened out and my steps grew quiet once more. Soon the scent of moist earth and running water filled my nose as I made my way into the dimmer area that lay before me, the dark silhouette of the trees a stark contrast to the darkening sky. My head tilted back and a plume of my breath was visible in the chilling air, the coolness barely felt though it was already getting cold out, my oversized red coat and high boots shielding me. If it had been any colder I would have been regretting wearing the mid-thigh length skirt I had. My steps sped up though they remained quiet and I began to move swiftly into the wooded area that lay beyond the path. The dimming light drew even lower as I moved through the woods, intent on making it home, my house just beyond the trees in a small clearing by itself. The wind picked up and the gentle chorus of the leaves rustling filled the air, whipping up the scent of moisture and earth again, along with something metallic and musky. I slowed to a standstill as I began to sniff the air delicately with a confused look as I tried to make sense of the odd smells. There was no sound except for branches creaking and the rustling of the dried nearly dead leaves in the wind. After a minute, satisfied that there was nothing abnormal about, I continued on my journey through the steadily darkening woods only to slow as a twig snapped in the underbrush. I looked around once more, eyes sharp and searching only to find that there was nothing except the swaying shadows of the woods. I began to turn as the wind changed directions and I froze as the same metallic scent and musk hit my nose, this time much stronger. I stayed frozen as I began to pick up the scent of sandalwood and something that was almost sickeningly rich and sweet smelling. What the hell, I thought in alarm as I whipped my head in the direction of the scent. The woods seemed darker there, where the scent was coming from, and I began to head towards the darker alcove of trees my movements hesitant. Something began to move in the darkness and I froze, shock making my body tense as adrenaline filling my body. The shadow seemed to writhe as it began uncoiled to stand tall, the form all but towering over me. Heart in my throat I turned and fled, shooting off through the brush as quickly as I could travel, my hair getting snagged in passing branches that whipped past. I barely registered the pain as I continued to speed through the underbrush the sound of something large following like thunder in my ears as I continued to flee in terror. I was almost out of the woods when one of the fallen branches I had stepped on snapped under my weight. I yelped as I fell onto my hands and knees, my posterior forced into the air and before I could move, two large hands slammed down by my smaller ones, as a body hovered over mine, caging me in. I panted in shock and terror as I quivered under the figure that was barely touching me, the heat they seemed to radiate washing over me. I stared at the large hand as I struggled to catch my breath and found my heart speeding up as I realized that this hand was distinctly male and his nails resembled claws. I could feel his hot breath on my neck and hair as he panted, a soft growl breaking from his lips before I felt something long and hot prodding my backside. I flinched in shock and mild horror as I realized that my skirt had flown up when I had fell, revealing my underwear. The male growled again at the heated contact. I began to move forward in hopes of getting away but a large muscular arm was suddenly wrapped around me, pinning my arms to my chest and making my upper body fall forwards as my ass was forced higher into the air. He ground against me again, his manhood hot and long as it pressed into my panties deeply and I shuddered at the delicious contact, the heat almost burning against my woman hood as he poked and prodded against my entrance, the thin cloth the only thing keeping him out of me. There was a growl of frustration and he began to grind harder as if to force his way through the cloth. I couldn't help the breathy moan that left me at the contact, my back arching. He grunted as the movement caused his manhood to stop hitting my entrance and instead slide the length of my clothed womanhood, making a gasp of pleasure escape from my lips at the delectable friction. I could feel my panties growing wet at the sensations and the male paused to sniff the air as I shuddered below him, fear rapidly turning to curiosity, lust and tentative exhilaration. I tried to turn in his hold to get a look at him but his steely arm tightened as a warning growl slid past his lips making me freeze, uncertain what to do. It was silent for a moment before his hand that had been supporting his weight pushed off the ground, making both of us sit back on our knees, the male still keeping a firm grip on me from behind. He reached around for something, snuffling as he did before he produced some rope making me start in surprise and begin to struggle though to no avail.

"Let me go! Get off!" I snarled as I tried to fight him off. He merely shifted me in his arms to a more comfortable position and finished tying up my hands without much effort of his part. It seemed he was much stronger than me. He merely growled at my commands and curses, his hand now free to cover my mouth as I got increasingly louder in my fright. The other hand slid down to the apex of my thighs and I bucked as he began to stroke my damp womanhood though my panties. I cried out against his hand, the sound muffled as he continued his ministrations, shudders of pleasure starting to course through me at the feel of his large rough fingers rubbing me through the fabric. I nearly jumped when his hand withdrew and he pulled my panties down before returning to his ministration. I had shaved yesterday leaving my skin slick and soft. His fingers where hot against my nether lips, my dampening arousal only making the sensation more enjoyable and exotic as he stroked and tapped all the right places, his hand exploring me deftly and skillfully. I began to wiggle my hips and soon he growled as something hot, thick and long brushed against my slick inner thigh, making me gasp and shudder. His scent surrounded me, the scent of blood and musk and sandalwood, as he began to rub the length of my womanhood with his cock, coating the shaft in my juices. I could feel him shifting behind me as he lined his manhood up and his hips snapped forward to bury him in me completely, a cry of surprise, pain, and lust leaving my lips as his hot length pulsed within me, stretching me out to accommodate his length and width. He shifted a bit experimentally and I moaned in both pain and pleasure before his hip slid back so he could snap his hips forwards once more, slamming him in and out of me. I would have shrieked if he hadn't covered my mouth, my eyes sliding shut as they began to tear up from the huge surge of both pain and pleasure that his thrust had brought. He paused his movements as he shifted his hips experimentally against me, causing another whimper to fall from my covered lips. He was still for a moment more before his hand that had been holding my hip in place moved to rest between my thighs once more, his fingers beginning to play with the small button that was at the top of where my body engulfed his. I shivered in pleasure as he continued to stroke and rub maddeningly little circles over the nub, effectively dulling the pain of being stretched out. As I whimpered and moaned, he began to nuzzle into my neck and hair, leaving hot kisses over the smooth column of my throat. I gasped in pleasure as he nipped the delicate skin there softly before beginnings to lavish the skin with licks and open mouthed kisses, his longer than average canines grazing me gently. He released my mouth suddenly and his free hand yanked my blouse open, the sound of ripping fabric filling the air as I gasped and shuddered at the cold air that suddenly hit me. Using one of his claws he cut through the front of my bra with ease making my eyes widen with alarm. Before I could ponder it any further however his large hot palm was cupping my breast, rolling the nipple. A loud breathless moan filled the rustling fall air as pleasure shot through me from two sources, effectively numbing the pain from his intrusion as pleasure began to cause something to coil in my lower stomach. I began to wiggle against him in earnest and I heard an aroused growl fill the air as his hips pulled back to plunge into me once more. This time my moan of delight filled the air and I heard an approving growl, as his hips began to pump his pulsating hot length into me, at an easy pace. The knot that I had felt in my stomach was steadily coiling tighter and tighter with each thrust and soon I was moaning in time with his thrusts.

"F-faster," I gasped out, the first word I had said to him tonight that wasn't a command or curse. He paused for a moment and I could feel worry hit me.

"Please!" I pleaded as I wiggled against his length. I heard a loud groan and growl sound behind me. I gasped as he suddenly let me go, causing me to fall over onto all fours again, his length pulled out of me. His large hands grasped my hips and his hips surged forwards as he yanked me back, my ass jiggling as his hips slammed into them, his length slamming into me all the way. A cry of pleasure left my lips as my toes began to curl in delight, a chocked growl filling the air. He began to pound into me, much like he had when he had first entered me but this time, it only served to make the coil in my stomach grow tighter and tighter as he pumped away. I gasped and began clawing at the ground as he shifted our position slightly, the action nearly pushing me over the edge as the knot grew so tight it felt like I was about to snap. He lifted my leg so he could get deeper and I began to gasp like a fish as he began to hit that perfect spot inside me. Once twice and then I came undone.

My cries of pleasure filled the chilling night air as my inner muscles fluttered around the pulsing length inside me, and he was forced to stop moving as my insides squeezed unimaginably tight around him, causing a chocked cry to be pulled from his lips. We remained frozen there for a moment as my insides continued to spasm from the pleasure, leaving me a limp quivering mess as he struggled to breath behind me. He was still hard and hot inside me, and in the back of my mind, somewhere past the lust induced haze, I was impressed that he had managed to hold out against my climax. After another moment my body began to relax once more and he shifted his hips experimentally to see if my body would allow him to move again. My insides where extra slick from my orgasm and he found that despite the tightness that still lingered he could now move. He pulled out of me as I lay there limply before I felt his hands rolling me over onto my back, to where I could see him for the first time. I gasped in shock as my eyes widened but before I could move he had thrust into me, making a chocked moan break past my lips as his feverish arms and body engulfed me, along with his musky scent, gleaming red eyes almost glowing in the slight moonlight that managed to filter through the trees onto our forms below. I shuddered lightly at the intrusion before bringing my tied arms up so they could wrap around his bare shoulders, clinging to him. He growled in approval as his lips began to ghost over my sensitive hot skin, his lips soon latched around one on my nipples as he began to thrust away into me, hitting different angles as he moved. I shuddered happily under him, his feverish slick skin gliding over my own with his movements. I could feel the coil in my lower stomach beginning to coil again, this time faster and harder than before. A whimper of pleasure was pulled from my lips and he groaned as my insides fluttered lightly, not an orgasm but a sign of what was to come. He pulled back to where his body was no longer over mine leaving him on his knees before he used the new angle to grab my legs and lift me to where he could slide into my body. I shuddered happily and began to moan loudly as he tightened his hold and began to pound into me. My head began to twist from side to side as I panted, the coil almost there again.

"I'm s-so close," I gasped out, his hands tightening on my legs.

"Then come," he commanded, his voice low and husky, leaving erotic shivers in its wake. It sounded so animalistic, so arousing and primal that it seemed to call to something inside me, making my toes curl in anticipation, my insides fluttering slightly. His face twisted at the sensation as the flutters forced a groan of pleasure past his lips. His pace sped up and I cired out in pleasure quivering. I was so close, but it wasn't enough. Through his half lidded eyes I could see minor frustration in them when I did not do as commanded. He shifted my legs so that he could grip them better and he spread them even wider than before making me whine lustily when he began to go even deeper.

"C-come… for… me!" he commanded as his thrusts became harder, wilder as he slammed into me from the new angle. I began to gasp and pant as the coil tightened painfully tight, toes curling. And I came, shuddered and cries and gasps being pulled from my lips as wave after wave of euphoria rolled over me, my insides spasming wildly around the pounding hot length that was pumping within me. His breathing was even harsher as his grip became almost bruising on my legs and he slammed into me with bone jarring force as his length began to grow larger and throb. I felt something hot filling my core and he chocked on a howl as he came, his body shuddering as he all but collapsed on me. We lay there as we sought to catch our breath afterwards, his hot slick body shielding me from the cold as he panted into my neck. His hair was soft as I reached up to stroke it, the rope long having come undone in our passion. A content sign left his lips and I smiled before placing an affectionate peck on his cheek.

"Happy Halloween love," I whispered to him. He deep chuckle send little shivers dancing along my spine.

"I will play little red riding hood and the big bad wolf with you anytime of the year if you want. That was… amazing," he murmured as he began to place languid kisses over my collar bone. I sighed contently as I let him continue his ministrations.

"yeah, well it was the only way I could get you to dress up this year," I murmured sleepily as I nestled my face into to his broad muscular chest, inhaling his rich pleasing scent. It was distinctly male, like the rest of him. He snorted.

"Hey, I'm not that bad," he teased as I giggled.

"Are you kidding me? The only times I can get you to dress up is if I go as a character from Icha Icha." He scoffed though I could see the amusement in his now mismatched eyes.

"But you play Natsu-chan so well, my dear Samira-chan," he murmured as I rolled my eyes.

"And you play a werewolf a little too well, Kakashi," I murmured as I trailed my hands down his slightly fuzzy back. There where patches of fur and skin and I was curious to see what sort of henge he had used that would pull something like an actual transformation off. He stilled slightly above me before giving me a quick peck and climbing to his feet allowing me to see him well for the first time.

"Yeah well, I guess you could say that it's in the blood," he murmured as he offered me a hand. I accepted it as I shivered at the cold. Seeing me shiver he immediately pulled me close making me sigh in relief as his heat radiated to me.

"I can never get over how warm you are. You're like my personal space heater," I murmured quietly as he rubbed my affectionately. A bark like laugh broke past his lips and he grinned devilishly to reveal his naturally longer than normal canines.

"Is that what I'm being reduced to?" He teased. "A space heater?"

"Not just any space heater. _**My**_ space heater. And arm candy." I teased back as I giggled. He chuckled and pulled me close, as he planted a kiss to my temple.

"Well come on. We need to get you inside where its warm," he murmured. I nodded contently. If I had looked behind us I would have seen the red eyes that where watching us. And I had paid attention I would have seen both of Kakashi's eyes flare red as he shot a warning glance over his shoulder. The red eyes shadow huffed in annoyance before slinking off, as I made my way home, with my boyfriends by my side. I never remembered to ask him how he get that transformation down for that night.

End

* * *

**AN: Mwahahahaaaa! Happy Halloween special! It's late but better now than in November…**

**Itachi -/_\\-***

***Blushes* -/- Shut up.**

**Anyways, please review and tell me what you thought! Hope you enjoyed it!**

**And Happy Halloween!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Last time on Unlikely Love… **

* * *

"As for her cover?" Hiruzen questioned as he puffed away on his pipe.

"Nara Shikaku. You know how brilliant he is with coming up with plans and creating tactics. I suspect that you where thinking about calling him into this situation for advice long before I even began the mind walk, if she proved useful, isn't that true, Sir?" said the blonde with a sly grin as the older man huffed in annoyance before starting to puff on his pipe irritably. Inoichi's chuckle filled the apartment as the Hokage shot him an irritated look.

"Hmph! Very well then. We'll be pulling Shikaku into the loop." Said the older man as Inoichi sent him an apologetic grin to which the Hokage merely shook his head at irritably. His jonin could be so annoying sometimes.

* * *

**Ch. 5 Enter, the Shadows**

Haruki sighed in annoyance as he pulled out the container of blood vials towards him. Why did Hokage-sama have to call me in right then? Couldn't the blood testing have waited till later? He thought to his self irritably as he began to think forlornly of his annoyed girlfriend that he had had to leave behind right when things were about to get interesting between them. Of all the times, he thought with a huff before getting to work on the samples, his practiced movements swift as he began mixing chemicals with the blood vials, putting some in readers so the machine could give him information on its contents as he poured an original vial of blood on a series of medical seals. But then again, he was the best at what he did and getting this done would be a snap for him. He was used to getting classified blood typing from the Hokage, so he supposed he shouldn't have been so surprised.

Haruki paused to frown at the vial of blood that he had put the cell decay accelerant in. It hadn't even changed colors and it had already been ten minutes. How odd. He took another look at the readings for that vial before frowning again. Definitely odd, the blood was showing minimal signs of decay… huh. Must be blood from a baby or something. An adult's blood would have at least shown signs of cells breakdown by now. Haruki continued working on the vials, frowning more and more as the reading for some of them started coming back. This was decidedly odd. O type blood, high regenerative properties to the cells, high resilience to toxins, regular chemical levels, and extremely high chakra saturation levels… this couldn't be a child's blood. It was looking more and more to be a ninja's blood, especially because of the chakra saturation and toxicity resilience.

_Hmm, I'll test the nature type of the chakra in the blood. That should give me some clues about this person,_ Haruki thought as he moved to a storage closet before rooting through it for what he was looking for. Giving a satisfied grunt, he hefted a medium sized scroll out of the back before making his way to the table, rolling it out flat and then grabbing a vial of untainted blood. Applying chakra to the seal he then poured the blood on the center of the seal. The character for the different elements began to slowly glow, as Haruki's eyes began to widen in surprise. First was wind, then fire, then lightning, water and finally earth, as the light coming from the seal slowly began to grow until it was blinding. Hissing Haruki tried to cut off the seal by releasing his chakra, but to his surprise the seal remained aglow, though the wind chakra character was now the brightest, fire and lightning the second brightest as the researcher stared at the scroll dumbfounded. _The seal is running off the chakra in the blood,_ he realized with a slightly awed expression. He looked back at the table with the vials, this time with new interest. Maybe there was more to this blood than what he had originally suspected. He was going to run a few extra tests on it for the Hokage, just to be sure.

_…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,_

Shikaku Nara yawned as he slowly made his way through the village hidden in the leaves, heading towards the apartment district, where the Hokage had summoned him. Ninja and civilians passed the slim build of a man that was Nara Shikaku, with his dark hair pulled back into a spiky pony tail that made him resemble a pineapple. Shikaku was currently dressed in the dark blue top and pants that made up the jonin uniform, his murky green flak jacket hanging over it, the edges a bit ragged. As they bustled about, the slouching man shot them a distasteful look before yawning again. _Busy bodies_, Shikaku thought to himself with an annoyed eye roll as he continued his easy stroll. If the Hokage hadn't said that this was a top secret assignment and was very important to the village as well as involving the village's tailed beast container, the lazy pineapple haired man might not have forced himself to work on his day off, but as it was, he was currently on his way. Shikaku paused in front of the run down apartments before him, before his gaze landed on the apartment number he was searching for. With that, in an almost lazily graceful way, the man leaped the three story distance, and landed on the railing before hopping down and knocking on the door with another yawn. _To think that the Anbu had actually interrupted me while I was napping,_ he thought irritably. Whatever it was, it had better be good. The door opened to reveal teal eyes, set in an angular face framed by long sandy blonde hair and rough bangs.

"Inoichi?" asked the Jonin Commander, his expression slightly perplexed as his long time team mate, friend, and fellow clan head, moved aside to usher him in the dim rundown apartment, shutting the door behind them . A slender eyebrow rose on Shikaku's scarred face as he took in the scene.

The biju (tailed beast) container, Naruto Uzumaki, was sitting beside the couch in a rundown chair. There where Anbu stationed secretly all over the room, all of which Shikaku knew where only the Hokage's personal guard, his best and most trusted. Then there was the Hokage himself who was currently talking to the boy, Naruto. Naruto was looking at the older man with worried eyes and his hands tightened their grip on something. That was when Shikaku realized that there was someone on the couch under a mass of blankets, and that he couldn't hear what was being said between the two of them despite the fact that he was well within hearing range, since the boy's apartment was pretty small. _A silencing seal to keep their talk private,_ Shikaku realized as he straightened slightly from his slouch, eyes sharpening to take in the other subtle things that marked the severity of the situation.

Finally the Clan Head's sharp gaze landed on the figure that was on the couch and he found himself moving forward to see the obscured form that was hidden under blankets and the other two people's presence. As Shikaku came to stand closer he paused, a perplexed frown marring his scarred face at the shock of familiar red hair and pale skin. Where had he seen coloring like that before? He knew he had seen it in Konoha, many years ago, but he couldn't put his finger on what made this person's coloring seem so familiar. He had the feeling that this woman, for it was a woman, should have a bad temper… It wasn't until the boy leaned back a bit that Shikaku eyes widened in realization. When the boy leaned back, the angle made their hair colors overlap as the boy continued to talk to the old Hokage, the young woman still asleep on the couch. Red and shocking yellow contrasted sharply.

_Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina,_ Shikaku couldn't help but think. Minato, who was the legendary fourth Hokage who had sacrificed himself for the village and Kushina, the last container for the nine tailed fox. The two of them where usually together before their deaths that fateful night, and it was often one would see their heads leaned together as they talked quietly over seals before Kushina would burst into her usual enthusiastic self. (Which usually involved punching someone or losing her temper. Shikaku shivered involuntarily at the old memories.)

The overlapping burgundy red and shocking yellow couldn't help but remind him of the two of them, and the man found his eyes widening as understanding went through him like a shock. He had always suspected that Minato was the boy's father because of his unique coloration, but didn't know what to think regarding the boy's mother. Was it possible that Kushina had been his mother? That might have explained how the ninetails had gotten loose before, since pregnancy would have weakened the seal holding back the tailed beast. Yes, the boy had always carried Kushina's name but the third Hokage had just told those that had asked, that it was in honor of the last Uzumaki that had died defending the village on the night of the attack.

Now however, there was this woman who had just appeared from nowhere, who looked like Kushina's long lost relative in the boy's apartment. Out of all places, she was here. It was suspicious to say the least. Shikaku found his brow furrowing in confusion as he glanced about the apartment to see if he could find anymore clues. _Just what's going on here? Who's this mysterious woman who looked like death warmed over?_ He wondered. If it wasn't for the tiny rise and fall of the blankets as she slept, he would have thought she was dead and that the Hokage had called him to make a solid alibi for the kid, so the council wouldn't be screaming for his bright blonde head, (at least anymore than usual.) he paused as an observation caught his attention.

_Short hair,_ Shikaku noticed with a frown as he took in unconscious woman's two inch long red locks. _Very short_, he realized with a frown as his gaze sharpened on it. In fact, it was all even, as if it had been all cut the same length. His brow furrowed as he took in a few short dark hairs that lay on her pale cheek. _Those look like eyelashes_, he thought as he took in the woman's dark red lashes. _But her lashes are red, not black… so why are there balck lashes on her cheeks, like she had shed them?_

"Can you guess why you're here, Shikaku?" asked Inoichi quietly by his elbow making the man blink and look at him as he was drawn away from his observations. Shikaku frowned as he looked at his long time friend and team mate long hard, amusement shining from Inoichi's eyes. Inoichi always did enjoy giving his reasoning skills and genius a run for their money. _Inoichi is here,_ Shikaku noted. _That means that it was more likely than not that the Hokage had had him here to read someone's mind. It probably wasn't the boy's mind, but the woman's since she seemed foreign despite the fact that she reminds me of Kushina._ Then there was the high level of security and the fact that only the Hokage's most trusted where here. Shikaku knew of how protective the older man was of Naruto, so he knew that whatever was going on with this woman, the boy was involved with and it was more likely than not that she was a relative of the Uzumaki clan. There was something off about the situation though… something he was missing…

"How troublesome," Shikaku grumbled as Inoichi gave a snort of amusement before gesturing for him to follow him to the kitchen.

"I'll give you a huge hint, since it's so troublesome," teased the Yamanaka clan head as he gestured to the kitchen floor. Shikaku's eyes widened in surprised and he knelt to inspect it closer.

"Chakra burns," he murmured as he gently traced a finger over one of the wide long burns that marred the floor, almost creating a spiral pattern. He could even feel the lingering chakra in the wood, thrumming with energy. Charka burns where created when there was such a high level of chakra traveling through something that the object couldn't handle the flow of energy anymore and it caused a burn like reaction to occur. There was long dark brown hair scattered across the floor. How odd, the man thought with a frown as he picked up a strand, frowning at the unusual texture and the fact that it seemed curly. Inoichi watched him think in clear amusement as Shikaku moved slightly to get a better look at some of the blood that was on the floor. After a moment the dark haired man stood slowly, his scarred face thoughtful before a series of emotions flew across his face, and a slow grin began to curve his lips and Inoichi groaned. _Aw man, has he already gotten it? I knew I shouldn't have given him that last clue,_ Inoichi thought in exasperation.

"The Hokage wants me here to make a cover for the woman, is that correct?" Inoichi made a face and nodded, annoyed. "But she's foreign, very _**very**_ foreign if I'm not mistaken, so foreign to this land that her true identity could probably be considered an SS class secret, yes?" he asked as Inoichi huffed, shooting him an annoyed look.

"Stop beating around the bush and smearing it in, Shikaku. You figured it out already, ok?" grumbled the taller blonde as Shikaku gave a laugh.

"So _**she's**_ the one that went missing from the hospital, huh?" asked Shikaku as Inoichi huffed.

"Yeah. How did you figure it out?" Asked the blonde as the two of them began to head into the living room.

"You know that Hokage asked me to review her file recently right?" Shikaku asked his friend, making the blond man sulk, before Shikaku friend elbowed Inoichi good naturedly. "Well, it's one of the few things that made the most sense. The missing woman was around her age, and height, and those chakra burns on the floor suggested that there was a huge influx of chakra passing over the surface of the floor. The fact that her hair fell out and she's now gaunt and sickly only pointed towards there being a metamorphosis, and it's like the hair of the woman in the picture. If you hadn't shown me that last clue I wouldn't have gotten it, though." Inoichi merely shook his head as a fond smile began to grace his lips.

_So, Naruto really is Kushina's kid, _thought Shikaku with a slight frown. It was a startling discovery, even more startling since the proof that Naruto was Kushina's child was currently asleep on the couch.

How was she proof? It was simple. The foreigners from the forbidden lake, when given blood from a host, took on dominate genes from the original person's DNA, and it was clear that there was some strong Uzumaki blood running through the boy's veins if the woman's appearance was any indication. They stopped just outside of the sound barrier to watch the Hokage and the boy. It was clear that they were done talking and now the boy was quietly observing the young woman with somber eyes, her hand subtly tucked into his where it poked out of the blanket. The Hokage looked in their direction, to acknowledge them and they took it as their Q to enter into the sound barrier. The blonde haired boy looked up at them, his face slightly wary as his hand tightened on hers.

_Protective,_ both Shikaku and Inoichi noted as the Hokage decided to speak up.

"This is Nara Shikaku, and Yamanaka Inoichi, Naruto-kun. They are the ones that will be helping Samira-chan create a cover that will hide her from any and all bad ninjas," said the older man as the boy shot the two men a glare.

"A cover is a background story, right?" asked the boy as the older man nodded.

"I don't see why she will have to go away," growled the boy as Inoichi's eyebrows rose and Shikaku frowned.

"I never said that she had to leave Naruto-kun, just that it's very likely that she will have to. Besides, it wouldn't be permanent. It would only be until her cover was firmly in place before she was able to come back. We don't want anyone tying her to her real identity."

"But I don't want her to leave Jiji! What if she never comes back?! What if something else happens to her Jiji?!" The boy cried ardently in a way that reminded Shikaku of Kushina. Admittedly the boy had a point though. What if she only had a limited amount of time to live and they never saw each other again? Sadly, part of their creation for a cover would have to wait on the test results from the lab. Then they would know how long she should have to live.

"We'll make sure that she's ok before we create a deep cover kid, you've got my word," said Shikaku as the boy's piercing blue eyes landed on him, eyes that where so much like Minato's. A flash of surprise and fear blazed through them, and Shikaku realized that he had let it slip that she might not be alright just yet. He had heard talk that the boy was not the sharpest tool in the shed, but despite this talk of the boy being stupid, he could tell that the boy had immediately caught onto his slip of the tongue.

"And if she's not ok?" Naruto demanded.

"Then I'll come up with something that will make sure you two are able to have plenty of time together before any illness catches up with her," said the man firmly before the Hokage could interject, his dark intelligent eyes boring back into the blonde's. The boy swallowed thickly as his fears filled his eyes but he nodded, his grip on her small hand tightening slightly. _Brave boy._ Shikaku sighed as the Hokage shot him an aggravated look before the group went back to watching the boy watch the sleeping woman. This was the least that Shikaku could do for the son of Minato, and Kushina, and he would damn well make sure to do his best.

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_A cover for her…_ Shikaku mused as he lounged in one of the boy's sitting chairs in the living room. He shifted as he tried to get comfortable in the lumpy thing before giving up with a sigh. _How troublesome._ He would have to have a chair sent over to the boy if he was going to be spending half the amount of time he suspected he might at the boy's apartment. Then again he would probably send one over anyways.

It was clear from the boy's attachment that they would have to justify her presence around the boy, and make the justification something that the council of elders and civilian council could not object to. It would be difficult since she was obviously an outsider, but he was sure he could come up with something. _Distant_ _family… that might work, or at least provide a stepping stone,_ the man thought to himself as he looked at the dozing form of the boy who was still besides the young woman, her red hair peeking out from under the pile of blankets the boy had covered her with. The boy had nodded off a few minutes ago, from stress and chakra exhaustion Shikaku suspected. It took a huge amount to fuel the metamorphosis process, which Naruto had managed to supply all on his own, unknowingly. The amount had Shikaku cringing when he thought of how bad the boy's chakra control must be before sighing and examining the deeply asleep boy. Naruto would probably wake up soon anyways. The power of his biju would make sure he always had energy to spare and he would recover soon.

_Well, she could definitely claim the Uzumaki heritage with that red hair of hers… if only she had the Uzumaki Vitality…_ thought the genius as he frowned pondering the woman's situation._ Perhaps she did get the Uzumaki vitality? If she did, she might live a few years more than what we had originally projected. Maybe even ten years at best._ Shaking his head with a sign, the man returned to his original musings.

_The elders on the council and the civilians will definitely try to get her out of the village, at the first chance, so we cannot claim that she is just passing through and came across her relative. There would never be enough of a backing of power in the council for her to have any form of support, at least the smallest amount needed to keep her from immediately getting thrown out of Konoha, Uzumaki Clan mate or not. She would have me, Inoichi and Chouza backing her but it would not be the majority needed to keep her in the village, if the elders decided to have their way. If the council tried to get nasty she could threaten to take the boy from the village because of how poorly he has been treated over the years and since she is one of the boy's only living relatives, she would have the rights to a lost clan mate if said clan mate was willing to leave of their own violation. But even then that is a risky card to play, since it is more likely than not that the elders might attempt to resort to something drastic to get rid of her instead of just letting her stay in the village like she wants. They would fear her influence on the boy. _

He sighed, annoyed. They, (the Hokage and everyone else involved,) would have to have a good argument to present the council when they demanded why she would be allowed around the boy. Not that they could be too forwards about the issue. It would only create suspicion if he and the others appeared so certain so soon over an issue that had just been brought to the attention of the council. It would be obvious who was involved and it wouldn't take much to figure out what was going on. No, Inoichi, his self and the Hokage would have to back her in a far more subtle way if they really wanted to keep whatever cover that was established for her, in place. After all, the members on the council wouldn't want a foreigner influencing the jailer of the Kyubi, even though the boy is treated like crap by the village. 'All the more reason to be wary,' the elders would probably argue. It would be so much easier for her to get inside his head, considering how much he would value the smallest bit of kind attention. But Shikaku trusted Inoichi's mind jutsus, and he suppose he could argue that Inoichi had gone through her head for information. It would definitely add credibility to their story, as long as they made up a cover for her that she would be able to keep up.

For that Shikaku was going to have to work with Inoichi and the woman to make a story for her. The best and easiest way to make her a deep cover background cover that she wouldn't slip up on would be to use her own past as a basis, which is where Inoichi and the woman would come in. Shikaku would ask for her story on certain things like family, past, places she had lived before, etc, and then confer with Inoichi in private later so Inoichi could validate or explain some things to him for the cover's creation. It seemed that for some reason, Inoichi did not want Samira finding out about his mind walking jutsus right away. Something about not wanting to be castrated or what not. Shikaku shook his head as he started thinking once more on the situation.

_No, she definitely has to come into the village already bearing backing and favor of someone in power, and we cannot claim it is the Hokage for it would appear too suspicions and far too convenient. Danzo keeps a sharp eye on Hiruzen as it is and would suspect something was up and might find more than what we were expecting, with his little shadows hiding in the dirt… _he mused thinking about a few of Danzo's secret operatives.

Then there was the problem of her credibility as an Uzumaki clan member. _She would have to know a good few Uzumaki Seals,_ Shikaku deliberation with a frown, _for her to seem believable, and that would take time and lots of practice._ He sighed deeply as he messaged his temples. It looked like she _**was**_ going to have to leave the village and return after she had mastered a few decent skills in the art of sealing. Sure they could pick a different cover for her, but in the long run, it made more sense to claim that she was an Uzumaki. She had the hair of one, she would need the political support that came from being part of the Uzumaki clan, and it was possible that she would end up having the special life force and chakra of one. If they did not immediately claim that she was an Uzumaki clan member from the start then the council elders would be suspicions that she never shared her heritage and got close to one of her relatives in the village under the guise of another last name.

In fact with the way things were looking, the Hokage had been right in telling Naruto that she was going to have to leave for a time before returning. If Inoichi had his way, (which he usually did,) then the woman would probably become a ninja and for that she was going to need some basic training, enough to pull off the rank of high genin low chunin to be accepted into the ninja ranks the easiest. She would of course be given the rank of genin even if she was higher, but without the experience needed for missions she would automatically be placed a genin. She already knew taijutsu pretty well, he had been told and apparently she knew a few basics on weapon handling, but not enough to properly throw or utilize kunai or shuriken. She would need to train with those, as well as some basic kenjutsu in the Uzumaki style. The more and more he thought about it, the more it looked like she was going to need some form of guardian or teacher for this plan of his to work, someone outside the village that could be trusted enough with the task. After all, if she was a foreigner, she would obviously be from outside the village. To receive the support she needed to stay in the village itself, she would need the support of someone who wasn't in the village a lot of the time, but still a well trusted shinobi of the leaf. Then who could dispute how long she had known this Konoha ninja, or her skills, or why he supported her? No Konoha ninja could. No civilian could, and certainly no council member.

_So… she would need someone with enough political sway to keep her in the village long enough so she could prove herself loyal and worthy of staying, an explanation for why she is allowed around Naruto, a claim to the Uzumaki Clan's legacy, and a teacher, someone that they could trust implicitly with the actual truth regarding the woman's background, who was outside the village most of the time, who would be willing to help... _Shikaku frowned as he thought it over. _Seals… a teacher… political power… and motive to help Minato's kid…_ a sly grin curved Shikaku's mouth as he began to chuckle.

It looked like the Hokage was going to have to call Jiraiya, toad sage of the legendary Sannin into the village on a favor. The white haired man would fit the bill perfectly in Shikaku's opinion. Now the only thing left to do was convince the man to take the woman with him and train her. Jiraiya was a picky teacher at best, so they would have to probably use the blonde kid's attachment to get her into Jiraiya's care, as well as a good deal of guilt tripping along with the Hokage ordering Jiraiya to take her. Even then, the Nara Clan head had a feeling that Jiraiya would still try to refuse, and he was already trying to think up a good way to get the man to take her.

**5 minutes later…**

…_Oh I give up_, Shikaku thought with a groan and a face palm. The only scenarios that he could think up in which Jiraiya would accept her as his charge all ended up involving perverted means. He decided to turn his thoughts to what she would stand to gain if Jiraiya managed to accept her, which Shikaku was certain would happen, even if he wasn't so sure how just yet.

_If she went with Jiraiya, the Sannin could claim that he had found her in his travels and decided to train her to become a Konoha shinobi if she chose the shinobi path. Knowing the Sannin, the woman and Jiraiya could claim that the man had found himself indebted to a small Uzumaki family and the young woman had been left to his care or something along those lines. Perhaps a spy mission gone wrong for the family after passing Jiraiya information, with her being the only survivor? Hmm. It would certainly indebt Jiraiya to her forever and explain why her family is dead._ He mused before sighing. There where so many elements to this cover it was making his head hurt. He would have to think that over later.

But of course, this was only the plan of action they would follow _**if**_ things turned out for the best for the young woman, regarding her life span. If she wasn't going to live long, then Shikaku was going to have to come up with something that would keep her presence in the village low key but would allow her to stay close to the boy before her passing. Hopefully he wouldn't have to come up with a plan like that and he could continue working on this one. From what he had gathered so far, there would be at least two people in this world that would mourn her death so far. Inoichi had told him about the young woman from what he had learned from her memories and from what Shikaku could tell as he listened to his blonde haired team mate and friend talk animatedly,was that Inoichi admired and respected her a great deal. Shikaku already knew how Naruto felt.

He hoped for all their sakes that she would live long,

But then again, that is not always fate's song.

Even though he didn't know her, the fact that Inoichi thought that she had what it took to become a very good ninja, piqued the Nara's interest. He closed his eyes as he remembered what his friend had said

_**Flashback**_

"_**She's not as civilian as you might think Shikaku. She's got some deadly steel in her and the mental fortitude needed for this profession."**_

"_**But there is the fact that in our profession we kill, Inoichi. If she can't do that, then there is no chance for her to succeed and she could possibly endanger herself and others if she can't." **_

"…_**Shikaku?"**_

"_**Yeah?"**_

"_**She's already killed someone." **_

_**Flashback ends**_

It had been pretty shocking for him to hear at first. As Inoichi told him about her getting attacked by a want-to-be-kidnapper who turned out to be a serial killer, Shikaku found his self growing more incredulous and grim as he listened about how she had snapped in her terror and how her instincts had taken over. He listened to his friend describe how swiftly she moved, about the blood as it flew from the man's neck as it was sliced open with deadly precision, with a spare box cutting knife that was left over from work. Her instincts seemed to be honed to kill the threat, when she was under extreme stress or fear, so it would probably be best for them to train her to control such snap/kill urges. Inoichi had told him how she had felt conflicted about killing for a time before she came to the conclusion that there was nothing that she could do and that she wouldn't regret her decisions but move on and learn from them: all this she came to believe without the help of a psychologist, Inoichi said. Mentally resilient. A good trait to have. It seemed she didn't want there to be any open record of information on her psyche that could be used against her later in the future. Paranoia and minimizing liability. No wonder Inoichi suggested that she should become a ninja, and these where only a few of the things that he had listed off the top of his head in their conversation.

But would she accept the profession? Inoichi seemed to think so as long as they showed her some 'cool' Ninjutsu and how to start using her chakra. He said that she would probably be thrilled with the prospect at first, and then rethink her decision to be a ninja after a few months of seeing what it was really like before deciding to stick with the profession. Shikaku had looked at him oddly.

_**Flashback**_

"_**That's all it will take? Some fancy ass Ninjutsu and she's jump on the ninja bandwagon like a little kid?" he had asked, a bit dubious. Inoichi had only chuckled. **_

"_**I can tell from her memories that it will be her weak spot. She has always been fascinated with the concept of magic, and is impressed with ingenious thinking. I have a feeling she would like ninja like you very much because of your trickery; more of the subtly over the brute strength. She admires skill, mastery, and ingenious talent in both body and mind and strives for that for herself, and has been striving for it long before she came here. Being a ninja would only be helping her along that path. She would probably give you a run for your money at Shoji, once she got the hang of it." **_

_**Flashback ends**_

He was a bit skeptical of his friend's predictions but only time would tell if she was really as predictable as Inoichi thought. The Jonin commander was pulled out of his thoughts when an Anbu began to shift the blankets around the young woman so that he could start to pick her up. There was a sudden flash of orange and yellow that brought back memories for Shikaku before Shikaku blinked in time to see the Anbu almost get bowled over by an over reactive Naruto. Looks like the slight movement had waked him up. The kid must still be very stressed if it was able to wake him from such a deep sleep.

"What do you think you're doing?!" the boy snapped as he tried to shoved the operative away from the woman who the operative had half gathered in his arms.

"Easy Naruto-san. I'm just moving her to better sleeping place," said _**Dog**_ as Shikaku's eyebrows rose in shock. Oh my gosh. He knew who _**that**_ was. The silver hair and the dog mask was a dead giveaway that Hatake Kakashi was back in uniform. But hadn't Kakashi been released from Anbu over two years ago?! Why was he back in Anbu?! After a moment Shikaku began to relax into his chair. He supposed it would make sense. Kakashi had been responsible for safeguarding Hiruzen, the third Hokage, many times over the years and the man was one of the few operatives that Hiruzen still trusted. Inoichi had told him in passing of the man's relapse of PTSS.

_Hokage-sama must have gone to talk to him sooner than I had thought_, Shikaku mused before sighing as he watched Naruto continue to mouth off at Kakashi.

"Well, couches are perfectly good sleeping places! Put her down!"

"I must insist Naruto-san," said Dog as he easily picked up the unconscious young woman.

"Hey! Get your hands off of her!" Naruto yelled as Shikaku winced at the volume. _Why does the kid have to be so loud all the time? Is he trying to draw attention to himself?_

…_Hmm. _

Shikaku frowned at the thought. Now that he thought about it, the kid also wore kill-me-I'm-right-here-orange. _Huh. Well, I guess he really does want to get attention, opposed to being ignored all the time,_ Shikaku mused with another sigh and wince as the boy started yelling at the Copy ninja in disguise once more. Even though the boy was angry, Shikaku could see the fear and stress that the boy was radiating because of the Anbu's actions, and apparently so had Kakashi. The silver haired man moved swiftly to make her comfortable on her futon mattress before moving back to let Naruto move forward to fix her blankets. The boy shot the copy ninja a heated glare as Dog stared back impassively. Shikaku only shook his head as he heaved a weary sigh. This was all waaaaay too troublesome, but he was going to have to figure something out. That much was certain.

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Samira blinked groggily as she began to awaken to find herself laying on her futon in Naruto's living room. Blinking blearily she groaned as she sat up, her body aching, her muscles tender and skin feeling sunburned. What the hell had happened to her? There was this slight hum in the air that seemed to be pressing in an all sides that hadn't been there before and there was the sensation that she could feel more than herself. She wasn't sure what she was feeling, since it seemed to chaotic for her to understand, but she could feel around her somehow. Beyond the pain, her body felt… different, her movements awkward and clumsy… As if, she was suddenly a lot lighter and bony, like her limbs where a bit longer. She shifted her head with a frown when the familiar brush of her hair didn't occur and raise a hand to find short strands under her finger tips. Where was her hair? Her locks where a few inches long and silky despite the thick nature of the strands, making her puzzlement continue to grow before she realized that her hand was paler in color as well. This… didn't feel like her hair… the texture was off.

What the hell?!

Now she wanted to see a mirror. After pushing her sheets away and with a bit of effort she managed to roll herself onto all fours. Grunting with effort she crawled into the bathroom before using the counter to help her to her feet where she lay panting for a moment before raising up enough to see herself in the mirror. She froze.

A sharper paler face than her own stared back, eyes slanted and light purple, with vibrant red hair that was about three of four inches long. She looked like she had lost a lot of weight and was deathly pale, making her mouth go dry in shock.

WHAT

THE

FUCK?!

What was this?! Why was her hair RED?! And SHORT?! And fucking STRAIGHT?! And her skin?! What the hell?! Those eyes where defiantly not hers! They were purple! Fucking Purple! She hesitantly raised a hand to wave clumsily at herself only to pale slightly in the mirror when the reflection did the same. She touched her hair and the reflection did the same, the thick silky stands moving under her fingers.

"…" she couldn't say anything.

She was officially freaking out.

"N-naruto," she rasped out as her dismay and panic began to grow. That… that couldn't be her! Her hair was brown and curly and LONG! What was this?! Who was that? Just what was going on?!

"Naruto!" she called in panic, her voice rising. There was the sound of running feet and Naruto burst into the bathroom, looking panicked before his gaze met Samira's her dazed wide eyes panicked. She… She had felt his approach before she had heard or seen him. She had felt something flare like the sun, bright and strong and warm before it had come running to her side. Just what was going on?!

"Samira-chan!" he cried as he skidded to a stop before her, eyes wide.

"Naruto, just what happened to me?" her voice trembled with fear and the boy immediately launched forward to wrap his arms around her. He was warm, the familiarity comforting her almost immediately despite the fact she was still shaking from shock and confusion.

"Oh thank goodness! You're ok Samira-chan! Don't worry! You're going to be just fine now!" the boy said as he hugged her. She shakily wrapped an arm around his shoulders, clinging to him like he was her only anchor on earth. He was here now… she was safe, and he was ok. That was good, she convinced herself as she forced herself to take slower breaths.

"W-what do you mean that I'll be fine _**now**_?" she asked as the boy pulled back slightly to get a good look at her face, his own grim with worry.

"You where dying before. Jiji explained everything to me; that since you are from another world, your body wasn't made for this one and that you where supposed to die. He then said something about how my blood and chakra saved you, which is why you look different now. Apparently my mom had red hair, purple eyes and pale skin like you do now." He said in a rush as Samira stared at him in shock. She had been dying?! WTF?! But now because of his blood and chakra she had survived? How did that even work? However it was the last bit he had mentioned that really managed to grab her attention. He had told his illusive 'Jiji' of his about her, and this Jiji or old man/grandfather as it means, had actually known what was going on...

"Your Jiji?! You told him? And he knew what was happening to me?" she demanded in astonishment. It was quite shocking if this was true. Naruto cringed slightly in shame.

"Hey! I panicked! What happened to you was scary, dettabayo! I thought that you where dying! You just wouldn't wake up! I trust Jiji and let him know about the bad ninja so he knows not to mention you to other people! Besides, Jiji is the Hokage of the village, the top ninja! He won't let anything bad happen to you, I give you my word dettabayo!" He was the leader of the village? Ok, it was official now. Her life had just gone to hell in a hand basket. At this Samira sighed in exasperation and resign. Of all the people the boy's Jiji or grandpa had to be, it was the leader of the damn village? And the strongest ninja? This would either be a boon or something that was going to get her killed.

The fact that the Hokage knew about what was happening to her and happened to be the leader of a ninja village wasn't good, for her at least. He was probably in charge of overseeing the progress of the experimentation that seemed to take place on people like her. He probably had a report up on his desk that had information on her and all the people that had come out of the lake. It felt like her gut was sinking with despair. She was pretty much boxed in now, with no hope of getting away now. She bet that there where ninja's watching them right now. Well fuck.

What if they had hurt him. She stiffened in shock as she looked at Naruto worriedly but relaxed slightly. He didn't appear to be hurt at all and she subtly check her for any wounds or bruises to find none.

"Did they hurt you?" she asked quietly, voice serious as she looked the boy in the eye. His own blue eyes widened in surprise before he shook his head vehemently.

"No, no, I'm fine Samira-chan! Never better, believe it," he said as he rushed to assure her. She let lose a sigh of relieve. She had thought that after them being found out, something bad would happen to him for helping her, but he seemed safe and well. Despite the fact that things looked bad so far, Naruto was alright, and because of this she could calm herself. She pulled him back into a hug as she frowned trying to remember what had happened to her…

What _**had**_ happened? Slowly the memories started to come back, and all she could remember was pain, crushing ripping pain, all throughout her body. It felt like she had been dipped in a vat of acid then oil and set on fire. It felt like she was being ripped apart from the inside… she thought that she was going to die as she bit into her tongue, before passing out but she was alive. But for not long it seemed. She was boxed in for good, with no hope of getting away now. Ugh, she was so stupid. She just had to let her heart rule her head. She should have just asked the kid if he wanted to leave with her.

"I'm doomed," Samira groaned as she sank to the floor, Naruto sinking with her as he tried to cheer her up.

"Hey! Don't talk like that! Things are going to be just fine Samira-chan, you'll see! Jiji just said that we were going to have to come up with a cover for you and have someone check you out to see if you are ok in the head, 'ttebayo, though I told him you're fine. After that, he said that he will find a way to get you into the village officially, so that way you don't have to leave if you don't want, dattebayo. Make a cover for you." Samira shot Naruto a blank look.

"A cover?" she questioned dubiously. The blond nodded energetically.

"Yeah! That way, no one will know that you're hiding from the bad ninja Samira-chan! You look really different now, so all you need is a new background story and they'll never know! Jiji said that he was going to have this Head Jonin Commander or something come up with one after you woke up so they could ask you a few things and go over it with you." Said the blonde excitedly as he looked up her with earnest blue eyes. Samira could feel herself relaxing slightly as she shifted to a more comfortable position against the sink cabinet, letting her arm pull Naruto closer to her side, the boy complying easily, used to her affection by now.

"Hpmh. Well, we'll see kiddo. Hopefully these people have been truthful with you. I'm not worried about _**you**_ trying to lie to me, but I wouldn't put it past them to tell you something false so you would tell me, in your usual earnest way. You would think it was the truth, knowing you," she said softly the last part a bit teasing as the boy's blue eyes grew worried.

"Do… you think that Jiji was telling me the truth Samira-chan?" he asked apprehensively. She sighed tiredly and pulled him a little closer.

"I sure hope so kiddo. That would be really nice, if I could stay here with you without having to worry about being found out." she said quietly as she let her chin rest in the nest of soft spiky blond hair. _Either way, it's too late now,_ she thought. Whatever was going to happen would happen. Naruto shifted slightly to get comfortable as his arm around her waist tightened slightly.

"I'd really like that Samira-chan. I want you to stay."

"Me too," she murmured as her eyes slid shut, exhaustion winning out. Naruto sighed from where he rested in her arms. He had been so worried before, that now he knew Samira chan was ok, he felt his earlier exhaustion creeping up on him, as he began to relax. Despite the cold floor, Samira-chan was warm and a comforting presence and soon the boy drifted off into a deep sleep as well. The Dog masked Anbu that had been watching secretly from the corner of the bathroom under a genjutsu slid out of the shadows of the room carefully before disappearing off into the apartment. He returned a moment later with a clone and a couple of blankets to carefully pick up the sleeping boy and the young woman before moving them to the boy's room where the man carefully set the deeply asleep woman on the bed before setting the boy beside her, covering them both under the thick blankets to keep them warm. Naruto and the woman shifted to where they were once more comfortable with one another before falling still once more, both still asleep.

_They looked so peaceful_, Dog noted as he sighed and ran a hand through the back of his silver hair, feeling more mentally fatigued than normal. It wasn't every day he saw someone that had Kushina's coloration with Naruto, who had his teacher's coloration. It was almost like watching two siblings sleep and Kakashi couldn't help but think about the kind of life the boy should have had, how Minato-sensei should not have died. Guilt starting to rise up in his gut at failing in saving his teacher and he looked away sharply. He didn't want to be around the boy. He was afraid to fail again, but the Hokage had tasked him with watching over the two people that so closely resembled loved ones he had failed before. Forcing himself to turn, Dog watched the sleeping pair for a moment before sending his clone off to report to the Hokage. He should at least know that she was awake now.

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Haruki was still at the lab though it was very late, going over several of the tests he had performed on the blood. He frowned as he flipped through a few papers, looking through the readings, his still young face pinched in concentration. He put the papers down with a sigh, feeling a bit weary. It looked that to unravel the mystery of the blood he was going to have to keep working on this. Going through stack of scrolls that he had taken from the closet stash, he began rummaging through them where they sat on the table. He paused to lean back his eyes slightly tearing up at the wide yawn that split his face before he stretched, leaning further back in his seat. He sat forward all at once throwing himself slightly off balance and he cursed as he fumbled to regain his poise, knocking a few scrolls off the table while he was at it and another across the surface of the metal as he grimaced. This was the main reason he couldn't be a ninja and it irked him to no end his lack of coordination sometimes. One would think that it had gotten better over the years but he was still as clumsy as ever, though he managed to avoid being so when near labs. Perhaps the trick was practiced movement? Grumbling he got up and swiftly collected the scrolls on the floor before setting them on the desk and moving to pick up the other scroll. He signed when a timer went off and he aborted his task to instead fetch a container of blood flasks from the fridge. Any longer in there without the proper chemicals and the blood would be ruined. He collected the last scroll and sat back at his seat with his prizes in tow, another yawn threatening to break through before he set the items down and rubbed his hands together to fight off the chill the flask container had left on his hand.

"And now for some coffee. I could use the boost," he muttered as he stood...

_**not noticing the way the old scroll next to the blood was start to rattle.**_

To be continued…

* * *

**AN: Dun Dun DUUUUUUUN! Major plot points! Mwahahaha! A tough chapter to pop out, but one of my favorite. All this complex thinking gets on my nerves but is rewarding to see. Please give me your thoughts and such. This has not been Beta-ed yet so please forgive the grammer mix ups and such.**

** I've already got part of the next chapter done but an just working on the transition needed from this chapter to the next. **


	7. Chapter 6

**AN: Happy Yuletide Everybody! Whoot! All that good stuff! Yahoo! Ah, any who, happy holidays, and thank you for taking the time to read this. I'll admit this chapter isn't as heavily edited as it should be so please forgive some of my typos and such. I wanted to get this chapter out this day so I decided to post it early. I hope that my beta and I will start having more time in our lives to go over this sometime, but you know how life likes to take its twists and turns. **

**Oh, and my computer crashed which means that part of this was not edited in Word so if you see some lower case i's then this is why. I apologize and will get to it soon. **

**Also, a shout out for those that reviewed! Thank you very much! I love it when I get feed back for a chapter! They make me feel so accomplished if I inspired you enough to type back to me! Please enjoy!**

* * *

**Unlikely Love**

_These are thoughts_, I mused.

"This is speaking regular for everyone else" to this is Japanese

"This is **_emphasis_**"

**"This is English (also used as a high clearance Anbu code in the Narutovese)"**

...

...

...

To be balanced on the tip of a blade I am,

for I will either plummet one way or another

into the abyss that awaits below

the only question, is into which abyss will I fall?

...

**Ch. 6 The Balanced Blade**

"Those are only the conclusive tests Hokage-sama." Said the young lab tech as he presented said files to the older man. The Hokage frowned at the encrypted sheets that lay before him. THe top page seemed to hold relevent information while on the pages under it there where lines going through sections and 'inconclusive' statuses written all over it, most it rather disorganized for a report. The Hokage looked up from the report to take in the lab that he was in, and at the young man that he had called yesterday morning to get started on the blood work for the woman Samira. It was already mid-morning, and from what the Hokage could tell as he took the sight of yesterday's cloths, and a day old beard, that Haruki was functioning on one of the several coffee cups that seemed to be littered about the lab.

"Haruki-san, how long have you been working on this?" the older man's voice was quiet. Haruki grimaced in annoyance. God, he wanted a cigarette right about now. All these inconclusive tests where just getting on his nerves, and the caffeine was only making him more erratic and hyper. He could use a good dose of nicotine to his system right now, if only for its soothing effects.

"Hmm? Oh, since yesterday sir." He muttered, eyes distant as he pondered what could have caused some of the abnormalities in the testing. The blood had been perfectly normal in consistency and cells so what was it that was allowing it to still carry so much chakra… it should have run out by now, but the scrolls he had experimentally activated with the blood where still running, a number of hours later. It was very... abnormal. A phenomenon. And after all his tests, he still didn't have a clue what was causing it.

"And you've been here all night?" Questioned the Hokage, though he had a feeling he already knew the answer. Haruki could hear it in the man's tone and before he could stop it, his increasing frustration surged forth. Hours upon hours of work. Cups upon cups of coffee, and still no breakthroughs despite the amount of experiments he had put the blood through. He knew he was missing something simple, that the answer was right in front of him, but he couldn't understand. It was extremely frustrating and he could feel it bubbling forth into rapid speech before her could stop himself.

"I just don't get it sir! Nothings making sense with this! Whenever I think I've got a grasp on what's happening with the blood and what it can do, or what it's from, it keeps destroying my theories! Where did you get this sir? This is driving me nuts, trying to figure this out." The outburst was swift and adamant leaving Haruki flushed in embarrassment a he bowed lowly and murmured apologies to the older man. Hiruzen, the third Hokage, however, was more interested in what the younger man had said.

"Haruki, what is it that you are talking about? You mentioned that something is causing your theories to break down?" The young man peeked to find that village leader wasn't upset and he straightened himself from his bow as he cleared his throat in embarrassment.

"Well, sir, the blood still holds chakra right now as we speak sir, even though it was supposed to have lost any residual chakra ages ago, at least an hour after being removed from the host. Despite this, it's still got chakra in it, like it's saturated. I've been trying to understand how that is possible but all the tests seem to do is make things more confusing sir. The blood seems to change under different circumstances before returning to normal once the scenario stimulant has been removed. Because of this, I can't determine different chemical or physical changes, since the circumstances of the experiments keep changing and there is no independent variable to rely upon. Without consistent data, there is nothing to base my theories on," sighed the lab worker as he ran a hand through his mussed brown hair.

"Hmmm, and what tests on it have you run?" Haruki had to hold back a scoff at the Hokage's question. What tests had he **_not_** run on the blood already? Bloody hell, he was going to have to **_create_** new experiments, just to attempt to get a grasp on what was happening in the cells.

"Well, there is of course an elemental chakra affinity sir, but that was inconclusive which was odd. There was age profiling, but that was inconclusive as well. There was blood composition and basic testing for sodium, glucose levels and everything else, but those all came back normal, no abnormalities, as long as there were no changes made to the blood's environment. There was platelets levels, plasma consistency, white blood cell counts, but those all came back normal. I just don't see what could be causing the chakra to stay, sir, or what could be causing the phenomenon in the blood. There are no abnormalities that I can find, and yet when i add agents to the blood that is normally harmful, the blood doesn't seem to react the same way as regular blood. Not to venom, poison, different chemicals I had on hand, not to different diagnostic seals. Those seals usually are able to pinpoint abnormalities or irregularities, but whatever came up is nothing that I've seen before, so that kind of defeats the purpose of the seal. one of the seals actually exploded."

"This is most odd, Haruki-san." Murmured the Hokage quietly as a wry grin twisted itself onto Haruki's face.

"Indeed it is, Sir." The lab was quiet for a minute as the two of them where lost in their respective thoughts before the Hokage finally came to a conclusion. As odd as it was, (the blood's reactions,) he had still come here with a mission, and that was to find out what the estimated lifespan of the young woman was. Nodding to himself he spoke.

"Well, I guess we will have to puzzle over this later, Haruki-san. Try and get some rest, and we will attempt to tackle this riddle some other time. Right now I think we have what we need. You said that everything seemed normal with the blood? What was the decay rate for the cells when put in the processor?" Asked the Hokage as he clapped Haruki on the arm. Haruki blinked as he was pulled from his thoughts.

"Hmm? Oh, it was rather low actually sir, even though the other test suggested that the person in question was an adult." He said as the Hokage's eyebrows rose in surprise. If it was low…

"I see. And what would you say is an estimate time frame or their life expectancy?" he questioned calmly though on the inside his gut was twisting in anticipation. After all this time, to think that they might have finally found a way…

"Mmm, I would say around a hundred years or more sir. Like I said, I thought that you had given me a child's blood, till I realized that it was saturated with chakra." It took all of the Hokage's considerable ninja training not to show his shock at the miraculous news. Samira's future was starting to look much brighter.

"I see. Thank you very much for your work Haruki-san. You may go. I would like your final report by the end of the week." He said calmly.

"Yes sir. Very well." As the Hokage left swiftly, Haruki got to work picking up the mess that was the lab. He paused with a frown as he came across a burnt looking scroll._ That's odd. I only recall one seal exploding..._ Puzzled he turned it this way and that trying to figure out what kind of seal it had been before being used, the barely discernible spiral in the center marking it as an Uzumaki seal. He sighed and shook his head as he rolled up the used scroll. He would have to figure out what had happened later. A lot of the scrolls that he had been pulling from that section of the closet had been pre-prepared stasis seals, used to suspend animation, which was commonly used to preserve blood samples until a later date. He didn't have Uzumaki seals though, since they were all ancient now a days, with the clan wiped out and all. So how had it ended up in the closet and why? How had it opened up and activated? What was in it? He gave an exasperated huff as he resisted the urge to throw the seal across the room. One mystery after another it seemed… How irritating.

**…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…,,,…**

Samira sat up groggily with a frown as the sound of knocking roused her from her sleep. It was early morning from the look of the light as it streamed through the windows. Groaning she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and frowned, not remembering getting in the bed to begin with. _Huh, must not remember or something_, she mused with a yawn as she stood, a grimace breaking across her features. Her body was still extremely sore and uncomfortable, but at least this time she could stand. She must have been so tired to not be able to remember getting them both to bed last night, she mused before frowning. Then how the heck had she been able to get Naruto in the bed if she was so tired? As she took a step forward, she stilled as a sudden ripple moved through the air.

She remained frozen in place, a variety of emotions racing across her face as she tried to figure out what the hell she had just felt.

There was another ripple again, and she frowned as she shifted uncomfortably. The pressure she had felt earlier was still there, all around. True the feeling of pressure all around her pushing in had abated greatly, but she could still feel shifts of something in the room, like invisible waves brushing lightly against her. There was something in the room, and she found her eyes drawn to where the presence seemed to be causing the disruption. She still didn't know what she was feeling, the sensation odd, but if anything, she would associate the sensation to sonar, except she could feel this ghosting across her skin in an ethereal caress.

She frowned as she regarded the invisible space where the ripples where coming from. She was certain there was something there and she found herself walking over warily, eyes locked on the air. The shifting ripples stopped for a moment, becoming almost indiscernible if she hadn't been paying attention, and she paused, eyes still narrowed before starting to walk forwards once more. The ripples came faster and she froze as she felt the direction they had been originating from begin to change, now coming from more of the left as whatever it was started to move away. She frowned and took a few swift steps, stopping in the disruption's path and it froze as she regarded the empty air.

"Show yourself." She demanded stiffly. The disruption made no response and she found her hand reaching out shakily before it brushed against rough fabric and the air began to ripple, before shimmering away to reveal a masked man a few inches taller than her. She leaped back with a yelp, scrambling for the bed, her heart in her throat as she gasped for breath shakily. _Who the hell is this? He looks like the guys that where there when I first exited the lake. What's he doing here? Is he here to take me back to the hospital?_

Naruto shifted before blinking blearily when she knocked into the side of the bed. She stared at the masked figure for a moment before ripping one of the drawers next to the bed open, a kunai in hand that she brandished at the unmoving masked figure.

"D-Don't move! Naruto, come here," she demanded as she pulled the half asleep but alarmed boy behind her so she could shield him with her body as she began to edge the two of them out of the room. Now that she was focusing, she could feel the man's presence, which was steady and unhurried, almost like a languid stream, where as Naruto's presence felt warm but erratic with uncertainly. As she reached the door, she froze. Now that she was focusing, she could feel three more presence moving swiftly into the living room and she found herself gulping uncomfortably in growing alarm. One of the presences was larger than Naruto's presence by enough to make her uncomfortable and she felt her own presence starting to grow in response to her unease, pussing te pressure in the air away until she felt as light as a feather, like it wasn't there at all. The presences in the living room and for the masked man immediately shifted into something more focused and hardened, and she found her breath hitch in fear as the three presences began to come closer. Three men rounded the corner to the hallway and paused as soon as they realized that wide violet eyes where regarding them with alarm. The six of them all remained frozen in place for a moment in the hallway, the stillness stifling as they all waited to see what the other would do. After a moment, a loud yawn from Naruto cut the tension.

"Samira-chan, whassup? You ok?" he asked as he tugged her elbow. Samira shot him a confused look, body still tense.

"Naruto, there are a bunch of strangers in your apartment, you know that right?" she asked him quietly making the boy blink before smacking himself in the head.

"Oh that's right. Ugh, I haven't introduced you to each other yet,'ttebayo," grumbled the boy before straightening with a grin. "Don't worry Samira-chan! They won't hurt us 'ttebayo! The old guy, my Jiji, is the Hokage. The guy with the pineapple hair is Nara Shikaku, and the girly looking guy with long blond hair is Yamanaka Inoichi, 'teebayo," Said the boy as he gestured to each person in question. Inoichi had a small tick develop in his forehead as one of his eyes twitched. Samira could feel her anxiety warring with her amusement of Naruto's assessment. She was still having a hard time teaching him proper manners since most of the people he came in contact with didn't deserve his politeness. When the Hokage just grinned and chuckled however she could feel amusement begin to win out as well as relief, though she was still keeping an eye on the masked man.

"What about the masked guy over there?" she asked quietly making Naruto turn to regard the still figure of the operative. He glared.

"I don't like him, but he won't hurt us either," grumbled the boy, making the young woman relax slightly though she still shot the masked man an uneasy look, her grip on the kunai easing a bit.

"Well, I guess we should probably take this to the living room, and I believe some food is in order. Dog, will you get us some take out?" asked the Hokage as he lit his pipe with practiced ease, the scent of tobacco filling the air as he took a puff.

"Oo! Oo! Ramen! I want ramen! Get me ramen! At least four bowls, two Pork and two beef! And nee-chan likes Yakitori and dango! Get her at least four sticks of either too! And rice! Steamed not fried, with broccoli on the side!" Naruto yelled as he began to jump up and down in excitement for the free food passes. The Hokage just chuckled while the other two men grinned.

"I would like a couple of bowls of ramen as well if you would, Dog. Beef please." He said as he pulled out his wallet before shooting Inoichi and Shikaku a questioning look when they began to do the same, making them pause as they realized that the Hokage would be footing the bill.

"Um, I'd like some goyza and some yakitori as well with fried rice." Said Inoichi.

"Just get me Yakitori and rice too, steamed. A couple of sticks of Dango." Shikaku said as he turned to make his to the living room as Hiruzen handed the masked man some money.

"Make sure to get yourself something as well, Dog," the Hokage stated with a grin as the masked man nodded before suddenly disappearing in a burst of speed. Samira nearly jumped out of her skin at the invisible ripples his presence sent into the air, making the Old Hokage chuckle as he gestured for her and Naruto to follow. The boy wasted no time grabbing her hand and dragging her after him as he dashed into the living room, to where Shikaku and Inoichi where already sitting.

The two men were talking about a jutsu or so and soon Naruto and the Hokage joined in. She sat quietly listening to them all speak, Naruto seemingly at ease despite the new company in his apartment. Jutsus, being something novel for her, was an immensely intriguing subject and she found herself listening to them speak in interest.

"Now. How have you been doing with your academy jutsus Naruto-kun?" asked the Hokage. The boy's face faltered slightly before his grin returned though it was a little forced as he laughed cheerfully.

"Ahaha, you know me old man. Nothing is going to hold back Uzumaki Naruto, 'ttayo!" he said as Inoichi and Shikaku shot each other unconvinced looks. The Hokage merely grinned kindly at the boy.

"Well, if you show me how they are coming along then I might be able to help you," suggested the older man kindly as the boy's grin became more strained.

"You know, I've never seen you use jutsu before, Naruto," Samira murmured quietly in his ear, her expression questioning. The boy's face flushed with embarrassment as he looked away for a moment before responding.

"Well… I'm not very good at them Samira-chan, and I didn't want you to see how bad I am. I'm supposed to be protecting you after all," he murmured back quietly, trying to keep it to where only she would hear. Samira blinked in surprise before grinning at him.

"Don't be silly. You would do just fine at that without jutsu," she said, making the boy shoot her an unconvinced look.

"You beat me most of the time at spars." He countered. Samira was still uneasy with the others in the room but she found herself starting to relax as she ruffled the boys hair. His presence was soothing, the conversation between them light. Besides, perking up Naruto when he was feeling a bit glum or lacking confidence was something she was good at and she wasn't going to let his insecurities get to him.

"Well, that's because I know your fighting style and how to counter it, since I started teaching you mine. To others though, it would be unexpected and I have no doubt that you would do fine as long as you kept out of their gasp, considering your size right now," she argued as the boy pouted adorably, making her grin.

"Its not my fault that i'm so short, 'ttebayo," he grumbled. Her smile faltered as her thoughts drew back to when she first met him. She could see for a moment the thinner malnourished boy in her minds eye before she blinked and a healthier, stronger Naruto was in his place, looking at her curiously, no longer pouting. She could feel a swell of pride fill her as she looked at his fuller young face and the cloths that where starting to get too small for him despite the fact that she had gotten them for him a month ago. he was already growing and it made a strong sense of satisfaction coarse through her. They might have tried to hold him back, by making him physically weak but he was catching up.

"That's right! You're not going to stay short anymore because you are going to keep eating healthy food and are going to grow up to be and strong, my healthy hearty boy," she said determinedly before pulling him onto her lap so she could squeeze him in a hug despite his squeak of surprise. She pecked his cheek in encouragement and Naruto beamed before realizing that the adult male in the room where regarding him with amusement. His cheeks flushed in embarrassment but he didn't pull away from Samira and instead settled himself in her lap while ducking his head to avoid looking at them.

"But i still suck at Ninjutsu," he muttered so that only she could hear him. She just chuckled, feeling better. While Naruto might trust the men in the room, she didn't and holding Naruto close was as much of a comfort to her as it was a comforting reassurance to her that he was safe and she could protect him if she needed to.

"Well, I've never really seen much Ninjutsu before, so don't worry about trying to impress me. Besides you need to practice if you don't want to suck at it." She murmured back quietly. The boy's grin dropped and he grimaced, clearly uncomfortable. She slipped another arm around him to give him a comforting squeeze.

"If anyone could help you, I think it would be the Hokage. He is supposed to be the top ninja in the village," she reasoned quietly in his ear. Naruto's face flushed again.

"But he's the Hokage! Next to him, I'm going to look like a joke." He cried forgetting to be quiet. Samira just chuckled as her attention was drawn towards the boy that was sitting on her lap.

"He started out as a student, just like you, so enough excuses," she said sternly though the mirth could still be seen in her eyes. Naruto slumped as he began to grumble, but he stood making his way over to the middle of the living room.

"Kawarmi no Jutsu," he cried, swapping almost instantly with the chair besides her. Samira's eyes went wide as her jaw dropped. When he had performed the jutsu she could feel where is presence was moving, allowing her to track him as he appeared next to her, before he performed the technique again, to replace the chair with himself once more.

"Whoah," she whispered starry eyed, not seeing Inoichi elbow Shikaku, looking smug. Grumbling, Shikaku handed the other man a pouch of money that the blond began to leaf through grinning happily to himself as he counted out his spoils. Naruto turned to find her regarding him with a shocked face and he couldn't help but laugh at how comical she looked.

"Hehehe, you ok there Samira-chan?" he asked.

"That was awesome! What else can you do! Show me!" she cried as she bounced in her seat, eyes still wide and sparkling with delight as she forgot all about the other people in the room. Naruto grinned, eager to please as he made the hand seals for the next jutsu.

"Henge!" he cried, and there was a poof of smoke before it revealed a perfect copy of Iruka. She clapped eagerly before jumping up from her seat to examine Naruto's transformation.

"This is so cool!" she gushed as she began to poke at the chunin jacket he wore eye widening when she realized that the fabric moved.

"Holy shit, this is an actual transformation," she gaped as Naruto reappeared in a puff of smoke chest puffed up in pride. The two of them didn't notice how the Hokage and the other two men had frozen in shock.

"Excuse me Samira-san, but did you say that that was a real transformation?" asked the Hokage, his voice seeming to be polite interest, though in reality, he was reeling. Complete transformations where very chakra intensive. A henge was only supposed to create an illusion. To think that Naruto had pulled a true transformation off at his age. Had he even been using the hand seals for the regular Henge or were they different?

"Oh, uh, y-yes sir, it was solid," she answered, immediately at unease with the reminder that she was not alone.

"Hmm. Very interesting," the Hokage mused as Samira fidgeted uneasily besides Naruto who was regarding the woman with worried eye. Inoichi noticed and decided to intervene.

"And what about the last jutsu Naruto-kun? We haven't seen you do a bunshin yet. That should be the easiest one," he called with a kind smile only for it to falter as the boy's face dropped. Samira glanced at the brooding boy, confusion and concern at his reaction now pushing away her unease. Was this why he didn't practice his jutsu at home? If so, it would make sense. in Any case, she decided to break the ice.

"Um, Naruto, what's a bunshin?" she asked him quietly. The boy sighed as he crossed his arms, looking frustrated.

"It's a simple clone jutsu, that I can't even do! It looks pitiful every time I try," he cried, clearly upset. She pat his shoulder comfortingly before speaking.

"Is this the reason why you didn't want to show the Hokage your jutsu?" she asked quietly. He pursed his lips before sighing.

"Don't worry Samira-chan! I'll get it down. This time, I'm for sure," he said determinedly as he performed the hand signs. Samira nearly staggered back at the sheer pressure the boy's presence grew, cringing.

"Bunshin no Jutsu!" he cried and she winced at the huge mass of fast coming ripples he sent through the room as he executed his jutsu. There was a poof and it cleared to reveal two sickly looking copies of Naruto on the floor. Naruto glanced down before scowling when he spotted the pitiful clones.

"Ugh. Naruto, not so much chakra," Samira groaned as she shook her head to get rid of the slight dizziness that the ripples had caused. The boy blinked in surprise before his expression became confused.

"Huh? What do you mean Samira-chan?" he asked as he took her reaching hand. Using him for support she made her way over to take her seat unsteadily.

"You only needed a little chakra to do the other techniques. If the bunshin is supposed to be the easiest that means it should probably take the least amount, but with this jutsu you completely overloaded it. I think that that's why it's not working. I think you where trying too hard," she explained not aware of the fact that Hiruzen and Shikaku where regarding her with open interest now. Naruto's jaw dropped slightly as his eyes widened comically as he regarded her nauseous looking face.

"What?! Really?!" He demanded as Samira nodded vehemently, the boy not even thinking to ask how she knew he was using too much chakra, since **_he_** knew that he had been using more chakra than normal. The Hokage and Shikaku and Inoichi however had not missed this. It seemed that she, like most that came from the lake was sensitive to chakra. She would continue to be for a month or so before she got more used to it and could withstand more pressure over time. But she was already picking up on and understanding what she was feeling and learning to utilize this sensitivity even though she had just woken with this new ability that day.

Hiruzen and Shikaku traded an interested glance. However, unlike the other two, Inoichi was glowing with something akin to pride, looking decidedly smug. Naruto rapidly went through the hand seals again and this time when the smoke cleared, there was an only mildly ill looking couple of Naruto's standing beside him. But they where standing, and they looked just like him. The boy stared with wide eyes before exploding into loud cheers.

"Yes! I did it 'ttebayo! I did it! Yes! Samira-chan, you're the best! That was awesome, 'ttebayo!" he yelled as he tackled Samira in a hug. She laughed as she hugged him back, making sure to give his back a few comforting pats, though she still looked a bit pale.

"See? I knew you could. And what do you learn from this situation Naruto?" she asked him, mahis king him pull back to look at her, wide grin still in place.

"What Samira-chan?" he demanded excitedly.

"Sometimes you can't use force to make something work. That technique wasn't focused on power, which was why it gave you so much trouble and sometimes, there will be situations where you need to step back and take a closer look at what is going on instead of trying to muscle through it. Sure stubborness will work at times but there is only so much it can do. But I know you can figure out when you need to step back and when you need to be stubborn. You're a pretty sharp kid," she said with a grin. Naruto beamed happily, chest puffing up with pride, basking in the praise.

From the way side, the Hokage watched the two of them interact with a level of pleased satisfaction noting how Naruto, for once, was not mouthing off or displaying the usual amount of bravado he did when accomplishing something. He had been expecting the boy to turn to him and tell him to enjoy his hat while he could because he would be taking it from him soon, or something equally boastful and brash. The young woman seemed to take the boy seriously Hiruzen noted so perhaps that was why the boy didn't feel the need to overcompensate by mouthing off to her about him being the best. She seemed wise for her age and a fast study. Once more, Hiruzen considered what Inoichi had proposed to him, that she become a Konoha ninja. It would be a lot of trouble. It would make creating a cover for her all the more difficult and would probably cause a lot of head ache for him and the council, but he was starting to at least consider it. For now.

Samira stiffen and she clutched Naruto to her protectively without thought at the sudden ripples that flew through the room as the masked man, Dog reappeared, carrying several bags of take out. And she was already protective of the boy, fiercely so, he realized with a grin, knowing that Inoichi, Kakashi and Shikaku had noticed as well.

"Ah, Dog. Good. Well, I think I'll go set the kettle to boil, if anyone wants tea," said the Hokage as he rose.

"But Jiji, we don't have any tea," came Naruto's muffled voice making Samira blink before blushing as she released the poor kid she had been squeezing. Hiruzen paused, a flash of confusion crossing his wizened face.

"Oh? Then what do you drink?" he asked as the boy began to grin.

"Milk, fruit juice, and milk shakes! We had some tea but we ran out a few days ago though. But don't worry! Samira-chan got us a blender so now we can make all sorts of tasty drinks! She won't let me have too many though, since they are sweet," he said as the young woman blushed slightly when most eyes turned to her.

"Oh? Is that so?" asked the older man with a warm grin as Naruto began to grin back, getting excited.

"Yup! Samira-chan plays really well on the Erhu, so she makes lots of money!" said the boy, making the young woman blush deeper.

"Naruto-" she began but the boy continued to speak.

"She's been getting us the groceries and she's a really good cook. And the other day she got me some new cloths after one of my shirts ripped. Oh, and Samira-chan is really smart! She's been helping me with my homework and been teaching me a new taijutsu! It's not even from this world! Isn't that awesome? And its super cool too! You should hear Samira-chan play though, because its really pretty. She's the best Erhu player ever!" By this time, Samira's face was almost as red as her hair from all the praise and attention that Naruto had brought to her.

"What is a milkshake?" asked Shikaku, making Samira blink as she struggled to gather her wits about her.

"I-i-its milk, fruit, and sugar all b-blended together… Um, if you want I could make one?" she stuttered as she began to mess with her hands nervously, making Naruto frown in confusion.

"You ok, Samira-chan?" he asked quietly as he placed a comforting hand on hers. She nodded clearly embarrassed as she cleared her throat. It was clear to everyone in the room that while she might trust Naruto, she was not comfortable being around them.

"We're not going to bite," came a teasing voice across from her making Samira jump in surprise as she realized that the Masked man was now sitting across from her. She tensed slightly as her eyes focused on him. She couldn't help but remember the hoards of masked people that had been there when she had first come out of the lake. Slowly, the man raised his hand to his mask.

"Hokage-sama. With your permission?" he asked. Samira didn't understand but was assuming that he was asking for permission to remove his mask.

"Permission granted… Kakashi." Said Hiruzen. The silver haired man lifted his mask to reveal a young face that didn't match his silver locks, the scar over his left eye prominent. His lower face however was concealed with a dark navy mask. Samira blinked in surprise at the sudden gesture before the man grinned under his cloth mask, making his eyes crinkle shut.

"Yo! Name is Hatake Kakashi. Nice to meet you." He said before offering her his hand. She blinked, a bit taken aback as she hesitantly reached out to grasp his hand. He took her fingers before giving them a few wiggly shakes. Samira's lips twitched with suppressed amusement as he held onto her fingers.

"And may I ask what that was, Hatake-san?" she asked politely. He gave another grin as he laughed sheepishly.

"Isn't that how you greet people in your world?" he asked, making Samira stifle a snort of amusement though she could not hide the tentative smile that began to spread over her lips.

"No, Hatake-san. Here," she said, deftly re-positioning their hands before adjusting her grip and giving his hand a couple of shakes.

"There. That is how it is done. Only a couple of shakes are needed. The grip, not too firm, not to weak. Just right." She said as the man chuckled.

"Is the grip important?" he asked appearing amused. She found herself humming in thought, not noticing the way the man was starting to emit a smoother warmer presence, or the fact that she was still grasping his hand, though her grip had lessened.

"Mmm, I guess almost important as the type of bow you perform, but this is only the case in certain circumstances. Mostly the consequences for an improper handshake are less severe. Handshakes show equality, confidence, and different intent towards one another while bows show deference and submission, which is tied closely to respect. A handshake is more formal but not submission; a sign of greeting, vulnerability, trust and respect or equality," she said, making the man hum in understanding as he thought about it, his eyes drifting to thier joined hands. He could see what she meant now that she mentioned it. By reaching out to greet someone, you gave them a grip on your person, that they could take advantage of it they so chose to harm you. He could also see how it could be used to intimidate or greet based on circumstance.

"So... refusing to shake hands would mean that you dislike or don't see the person in question as a peer, while an improper bow is complete disrespect. I see. Your right. The severity is not the same," Kakashi mused as he looked down at their joined hands. Her hand was small in his, and he couldn't help but marvel at the pale perfection of the skin in his palm. He could see the attraction of hand shakes. She definitely had lovely little hands. Samira hummed in agreement as she let his hand go, her shoulder loosening slightly as she began to relax. And Kakashi found himself starting to become more at ease as well, despite the fact that he was still a bit uncomfortable with her appearance. She still reminded him of Kushina-nee but he found himself staring to see the young woman more. Her being awake and having her own personality out and about however was probably the most deciding reason for his growing comfort.

The clinking of kitchen ware alerted Samira to the fact that most everyone had left to go help prepare the food in the kitchen and she found herself rising tentatively to join them. Kakashi followed making sure not to crowd the once more flighty female as she edged into the kitchen to see what was happening. Naruto was currently unwrapping his ramen and moving them to the table as Shikaku piled the yakitori onto a platter while Inoichi set plates at the table, the Hokage getting glasses out along with a pitcher of juice. Samira hesitantly went over to help carry food to the table along with chopsticks and soon everyone found themselves seated at Naruto's rather small table. Kakashi had drifted back to the living room with his food.

"Please pass the Yakitori," Samira murmured to Shikaku who was sitting in front of the bowl. He gave it to Inoichi who was sitting on her left before the man passed it to her with a kind smile that she returned tentatively. Soon her plate was full and everyone was eating contently in near silence, though the unease still remained. Finally, Shikaku decided that he had had enough.

"I'm surprised. I would have thought that you would have asked us by now what our involvement is if we know about your origins and where the ones that brought you to this village." He stated, making Samira as well as the rest of the table freeze mid bite. The Hokage frowned, wondering what Shikaku was doing taking such a direct approach and Inoichi sent his friend a questioning look. Samira's response however was actually a bit surprising. All nervousness disappeared from her as she regarded him with surprisingly flat eyes, her face not amused.

"Would you have told me the actual truth? What's the point in asking you if I don't trust your word? And does my opinion actually matter to any of you at this point? You make it sound like I actually have a say in anything that happens next." she murmured, not joking around. At this Shikaku's eyebrow rose slightly along with Hiruzen's. She was making a valid point, though her source of logic had to be questioned.

"Oh? Do you not believe that you have any choice in the matter?" he asked. Samira gave a snort face slightly embittered.

"It was made very clear to me by everyone that I met when first arriving in this world, that there are forces here that did not exist in my world, and that I'm basically powerless to oppose anything. That I'm not even considered human. That I do not officially exist and that I'm expendable." She said, her voice calm and level but unmistakably acerbic, almost cold. The Hokage found his self sighing tiredly. He was going to have a word with Ibiki for this little mind fuck of his that it appeared he had played on her. Naruto was scowling but didn't speak as he watched the proceeding carefully, ramen forgotten momentarily.

"While there are points to that statement that are very true, that is not entirely the case, Samira-san," the Hokage said as Naruto frowned from the side, listening closely. "In a lot of ways you are powerless right now, and your initial treatment was unmistakably inhuman. There is a reason for that though, and it is not because you are from a different world." He said as his fingers steepled, dark eyes boring into her hard flat ones. "Can you think of why?" She frowned slightly before looking away, eyes unfocused as she thought before understanding filled her eyes.

"It's because the people that come to this world die soon, is that correct?" she murmured quietly.

"Correct, though there is a way to extend their life span a few years at best." He said making Naruto and Samira stiffen in surprise. Only a few years?

"However…" cut in the Hokage as Naruto opened his mouth to speak. The boy's jaw snapped shut as he began to grit his teeth, pain and anger in his eyes. "In your case it seems a bit of a phenomenon has taken place." With that the Hokage pulled a file from his robes before sending it across the table with a gentle push. Samira opened it before scanning through it. It had been copied into english she could see and she was able to read the bad grammar without a problem.

Apparently she had chakra now, which explained why she was able to sense pressure all around her. This presence she was sensing all around was chakra, and the chakra of others. Her blood work looked normal, except for the decay rate for her cells. In fact it looked like the decay rate had lessened if anything, putting her lifespan over a hundred years. She frowned before slowly looking up to meet the Hokage's gaze.

"I'm not going to die naturally anytime soon," she murmured in surprise as the Hokage gave a nod.

"Exactly. We're not sure how this happened. Usually the way to extend life for your people is to give them a sample of blood from a compatible host and then pump chakra into them during the metamorphosis process," he said making her frown.

"Is that why there where so many blood tests? At the hospital?" she questioned quietly. Hiruzen nodded and Samira sighed.

"If I had stayed, the hospital would have found me a compatible blood match them monitored my metamorphosis." She murmured with a frown as Hiruzen nodded.

"Indeed."

"And then you would only have a few years to live instead of a hundred," Shikaku stated as he took the time to take a bite of food. Samira sighed.

"Fortune favors the bold," she murmured with a pained look as she considered all the people that had come before her that had died while she was fortunate enough to live and survive, even if it was an accident, and even if it was a phenomenon. she sat in silence as she thought about what had happened thus far, no longer feeling as angry and as hopeless as before. This at least made sense. This was why there where people all around the lake. She wasn't the first to come through it it seemed. This was why they had taken blood from her, why they had kept her in the hospital, why they didn't really talk to her. After all, its hard to get attached to people who you know are going to drop dead soon. Her eyes narrowed. This explained a lot but that didn't explain why that Scar guy had to be such an ass.

Laughter from all around the table broke Samira from her thoughts only to realized that she had been speaking aloud. She blushed slightly but felt herself truly relaxing for the first time that morning, or mid day if you wanted to get technical.

"My dear, is the man you are speaking about rather tall with an imposing figure, with scars across his face wearing a black bandanna a big black trench coat?" Questioned the old Hokage kindly. She scowled and he nodded in understanding. "Ah, that's right, you had the misfortune of meeting one of our top interrogators in Konoha, Morino Ibiki. He's pretty much the head of the Torture and Investigation department my dear. He messes with people's heads on a regular basis. He wasn't actually the one that was supposed to retrieve you from the lake but just so happened to be passing by to investigate something. He brought you back to the village as soon as possible because there had just been a security breach at the base. Most of the time, your people never even see the village, but after the kidnappings we decided any and all newcomers from the lake had to be relocated to the village," said the Hokage as Samira frowned.

"Kidnappings?" she questioned as the older man grimaced.

"Yes. Right before your arrival to this world, there was a number of people that where killed at the base before several of the people that had just come out of the lake where taken." said the Dark haired Nara with a frown, his serious gaze meeting Samira's. She found herself swallowing uneasily at his implications.

"And how took these people?" she asked uncertainly. The men traded a glance as the old Hokage winced.

"A traitor to the village. Nothing more," the old man murmured quietly before he lit his pipe, the rich scent of tobacco filling the air. Samira regarded the old man somberly as she read the sadness and unhappiness in the elder's posture and face. the pipe seemed to be a stress relief for him as well she noted. Who ever this traitor was, it must have hit the old man hard.

"Why did this traitor go to the effort to take the people thought?" she asked quietly still curious as she was uncertain. Shikaku sighed, muttering troublesome as Inoichi grimaced, clearly not enjoying the topic. The Hokage's face darkened slightly. Samira had to fight back the urge to cringe as her unanswered question left an oppressive weight over the table, the silence tense and awkward. Samira shifted uneasily before frowning as she realized something.

"Is there still a possibility that this traitor will be coming after me? Naruto told me that someone was going to be coming up with a background story fro me so that I could live in the village without anyone being the wiser as to my true origins. Is this the reason why i'm going to be in hiding, other than the obvious being that i'm from a different universe?" she asked, awkwardly as the men at the table traded another loaded glance.

"People from your world are... Unique, Samira-san. Especially here, in this world. There are certain things about your people that make them very useful and there are certain individuals who would want to take advantage of this, which is why it would be best to hide you in plain sight." said Inoichi, choosing his words carefully. Her eyes narrowed but she didn't speak.

"What sort of things?" she asked quietly, eyes serious as they held Inoichi's gaze. He stared at her helplessly for a moment before glancing at the Hokage. The older man finally nodded in acquiesce.

"To put it bluntly Samira-san, your people are very very _**useful** _when it comes to a _**lot** _of things, especially when it comes to being a ninja. Some make _**exceptional** _ninja when they have the right mentality for it, which is rare. Because of the lack of chakra in your world, your people are stronger physically than ours in several different ways. Your bone mass will be denser, as well as your muscle tone. If exposed, you will barely be affected by most toxins and venom's from this world and you will probably have a high alcohol tolerance as well as tolerance to drugs in general. You are sensitive to chakra which is an excellent skill to have as a ninja, a rare skill. Strictly speaking, can you imagine the kind of soldiers that could be produced if somehow someone figured out a way to extend the lives of your people?" he asked as Inoichi shot the man an exasperated look, clearly frustrated with the way that Shikaku was handling the situation. Samira's eyes had gone wide with alarm at the man's harsh words and Inoichi opened his mouth to speak before he was cut off by Naruto leaping to his feet, his chair falling in his haste as he pointed a finger threateningly at Shikaku.

"Hey! Don't think that I'm just going to let you talk about Samira-chan or her people like that 'ttebayo! They are people too! you can't go around talking about them like they don't have a choice as to whats going to happen to them or not!" yelled the boy indignantly.

"you are right Naruto. They are people, but there are those in this village and in others that would not care whether they are forcing these people into servitude or not, and while I may be the Hokage, there is only so much that I can do to protect her, which is why you need a solid cover, Samira-san. The secret of her origins if of the highest level, do you understand?" asked the old man as his serious gaze held Naruto and Samira's own. The boy nodded vehemently as as the young woman nodded stiffly, clearly still reeling from what she had learned.

"Don't worry! I'll keep my mouth shut, 'ttebayo!" swore the blond vehemently as Samira continued to look at the table in a daze. Life just had to go and get complicated for her didn't it? She sighed in exasperation as she scrubbed her face in her hands, feeling stressed.

"And speaking of cover stories," Said Shikaku causing Samira to look up to meet his dark amused gaze, "we need to make you one, which is why I'm here." With that he pulled out a tablet and Samira had to fight back a groan. This day just kept getting better and better.

Could it get any worse?

There was a knock at the door that Kakashi quickly opened and the answer to her question stepped into the room, all six foot four inches of it, his dark trench coat the same as she remembered it, bandanna and scars all in place. Morino Ibiki's eyes widened in shock as he entered the room before a menacing grin slid over his lips.

Yes, yes it could.

_**To be continued...**_

* * *

**AN: Whew! Short and important. Meh, what can I say. It was awkward to write but needed. To tell the truth, I lost a lot of enthusiasm for writing this story the moment the manga ended. And to tell the truth I was partially in denial after finishing it and had to reread the last time skip about two times before finally processing it a week later... **

**-_-* yeah, it was that bad a reaction. But oh well! **

**I have re-found my enthusiasm and I hope that you all will continue to follow the story even though the manga is over. And now to the good stuff! :D Mwahahahaaaa, this is going to be so much fun! **

**Fliscent- *evil grin* Oh I can't wait!**

**Itachi- *-/_\\- woman, what are you doing this time?**

**Fliscent- you'll see 'Tachi-kun! Kukuku... An author of my mad Skill will just have to make things interesting! Mwahahaha!**

**Itachi- Foolish little woman you lack enough S-**

**Fliscent- ಠ_ಠ **

**Itachi- *o/_\o**

**Fliscent- ಠ_ಠ yes?**

**Itachi- ... *sweating bullets fake smile*^/_\^ never mind**

**(He was going to say 'skill' but realized as soon as he said the 's' that she might really have enough hate for the 'kill.' Haha, skill? s-kill? Get it? And he's supposedly an S rank missing nin and all? Do you see how- oh never mind. You get my bad puns. Enough already)**

**Anyways, well, I guess I will be updating soon, if the next chapter will flow out!**

**Fliscent-Almighty Puuuuuush!**

**Pain- *-_- "... It doesn't work that way..."**

**Fliscent- But this is my baby!**

**Pain- (╬ Ò ‸ Ó)** ** Definitely doesn't work like that!**

**Anyways! Please leave a review! I love hearing from you guys! Also, I would like to shout out for those that did leave a review last chapter and those before it! I appreciate it! Extra kudos! :)**


	8. Chapter 7, Part I

**AN: Hmmm. How to put this…?**

**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

**Ok, now that's out of my system, I just wanted to say: this chapter was annoying to write because I kept having to re-revise the character's interactions to make them part way believable. Ugh! A Total nightmare! **

**Please let me know if you think that any particular character is acting OOC and why you feel that way. **

**Also, this chapter was actually split in two since it was so bloody long, (at least 14k words.)**

**I WILL POST THE NEXT PART OF THIS CHPATER AFTER AT LEAST FIVE REVIEWS! I really need some feedback since I am so... for lack of better words, 'thrown for a loop' by this section, since I might need to reedit this section... Again. *Sobs* Hopefully it will be alright. ^_^**

**I would also like to thank you for reading this far! Special thank to patty mayonnaise, Dame Lee Lee, myharlequinromance321, ****Dchan3, Be-Mindful, Happy, rotten daydreams, Strife666, BP, M, ****and anyone else I might have missed when looking through all those wonderful reviews!**

**Warnings: **** Foul Adult language. **

**Needless to say when Samira gets mad, she has a potty mouth and tends to sound like a russian sailor that ended up in a penitentiary for two years before become a Yakuza lord... yes she goes Orrrrra! And rolls her r's like a Japanese mobster when she's mad. **

**...And needless to say her language _could _be a bad influence on Naruto. Hopefully not.**

**Anyways, please enjoy, and tell me what you think!**

* * *

**_Last time on Unlikely Love..._**

"To put it bluntly Samira-san, your people are very very _useful_ when it comes to a _lot_ of things, especially when it comes to being a ninja. Some make _exceptional_ ninja when they have the right mentality for it, which is rare. Because of the lack of chakra in your world, your people are stronger physically than ours in several different ways. Your bone mass will be denser, as well as your muscle tone. If exposed, you will barely be affected by most toxins and venom's from this world." Samira's eyes went wide with shock.

"Immune to venom and toxins? Why? How?" she asked, her surprise clear on her face. Shikaku chuckled as he interlaced his finger as he leaned forward to place his elbows on the table.

"What do you have in your world that we do not?" he asked. She blinked before scowling at him.

"A lot. Could you be more specific." Shikaku hummed in thought.

"It poisons the very air you breath." he said. Samira's eyebrow rose in surprise.

"Oh. You mean mass pollution? Well, yeah, that's pretty bad, but that doesn't mean that I should be immune to venom though since those are natural agents that come from animals. Perhaps some low poisons, yes, but not venom." She said with a careless wave of her hand. Shikaku hummed in thought. It was silent fo a minute as he thought. Finally he spoke.

"Samira-san?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you think that we have never tried to cross through the lake that links your world to ours?" he asked as Samira started in shock. The idea of these jutsu wielding ninja invading her home filled her mind leaving her with mental whiplash.

"Y-you what?" she cried.

"We could not survive in your world." he put bluntly as he grimaced 's eyes widened in surprise again and she found herself calming.

"As lightly as you take your home world, a lot of the natural poisons and toxins found in the air and water and earth from your world are actually very potent compared to the toxins from this world. In comparison, there is no competition." Samira frowned before nodding slowly. It made sense. there wasn't anything as potent in this world that could compare to anything she had already been exposed to, meaning that there would hardly be anything that would harm her much.

"I see," she murmured, frowning in thought.

"The same might be said for the alcohol from your world as well. In fact, you will probably have a high alcohol tolerance as well as tolerance to drugs in general. It seems your people are fond of medications." Samira scoffed in irritation at the implications Shikaku was suggesting .

"Oh please. The most I take are pain killers." she said.

"And those pain killers that you take are potent enough to send any one of my ninja into cardiac arrest," said the Hokage making Samira blanch slightly.

"Well, on top of that, you are sensitive to chakra which is an excellent skill. Sensor ninja are in great demand at all times."

"Ninja?" Samira asked hesitantly. They kept bringing up the topic of ninja and she was starting to wonder what they where hinting at.

"Yes. Here in this world, out main solider forces are ninja and Samurai, though the great elemental nations power resides in the power of their hidden villages and their Daimyo." Samira hummed in thought.

"So the more powerful ninja in the village, the better?" she asked quietly, starting to understand what Shikaku was probably hinting at.

"Yes. Strictly speaking, can you imagine the kind of soldiers that could be produced if somehow someone figured out a way to extend the lives of your people? You all are very useful, one way or another." he said as Inoichi shot the man an exasperated look, clearly frustrated with the way that Shikaku was handling the situation. Samira's eyes had gone wide with the implications of what he was saying. It sounded like every village was in competition, but the way he was mentioning soldiers and usefulness... it didn't make it sound like people from the lake would be having much of a choice.

Inoichi opened his mouth to speak in hopes of diffusing the situation before he was cut off by Naruto leaping to his feet, the boy's chair falling in his haste as he pointed a finger threateningly at Shikaku.

"Hey! Don't think that I'm just going to let you talk about Samira-chan or her people like that 'ttebayo! They are people too! You can't go around talking about them like they don't have a choice as to whats going to happen to them or not!" yelled the boy indignantly.

"You are right Naruto. They are people, but there are those in this village and in other villages that would not care whether they are forcing these people into servitude or not, and while I may be the Hokage, there is only so much that I can do to protect Samira-san," he said to Naruto before turning to face the young woman, "which is why you need a solid cover, Samira-san. The secret of Samira-san's origins if of the highest level, do you understand?" asked the old man as his serious gaze held Naruto and Samira's own. The boy nodded vehemently as as the young woman nodded stiffly, clearly still reeling from what she had learned. _I get it now. That's Why the traitor took those people. They where taken from the base to be used as tools by that person, that traitor._She understood now why the men hadn't wanted to talk about it. It sure sounded like this person was intimate with information regarding the base.

"Don't worry! I'll keep my mouth shut, 'ttebayo!" swore the blond vehemently as Samira continued to look at the table in a daze, mind still churning through her thoughts. Life just had to go and get complicated for her didn't it? She sighed in exasperation as she scrubbed her face in her hands, feeling stressed.

"And speaking of cover stories," Said Shikaku causing Samira to look up to meet his dark amused gaze, "We need to make you one, which is why I'm here." With that he pulled out a scroll and Samira had to fight back a groan. This day just kept getting better and better.

_Could it get any worse?_

There was a knock at the door that Kakashi quickly opened and the answer to her question stepped into the room, all six foot four inches of it, his dark trench coat the same as she remembered it, bandanna and scars all in place. Morino Ibiki's eyes widened in shock as he entered the room before a menacing grin slid over his lips.

_Yes, yes it could._

**_Ch. 7_**

**_Enter, the Bear_**

"Well well well, lookie here. I think I recall leaving you at a hospital and telling you to stay. Maybe I didn't make myself clear enough," rumbled the looming man as he took a step forward, his height blocking out the ceiling light even though he had barely entered the room. His eyes where locked with Samira's, who's eyes had narrowed to slits, her expression deadly. Naruto immediately bristled as he got up intending to leap between Samira and the hulking man. Samira however blocked his way, instead standing so that she could glare at the looming man who had drawn even closer, now standing in arms length as he smiled sadistically down at her.

"Well, you know me. Can't seem to stay in one place too long, jumping from one place to another," she said, her tone sarcastic before she smirked, looking distinctly smug about something. She had just realized that she knew what Ibiki kept stored in that coat of his, since she had explored the one that she had stolen while at the hospital. He however had no idea what she was thinking about and Ibiki's head tilted in wonder as his grin widened.

"You can speak our language now?" he asked before giving a low whistle, impressed. "Well damn, that was fast. Hey, you scramble her brains yet Inoichi?" Inoichi grimaced, but thankfully Samira's attention was focused solely on the scarred man standing before her. And more specifically, his jacket. She remembered what was in which pocket...

"You know... its rude to stare," Ibiki said with a chuckled eyes darkly amused as he returned his gaze to the silent woman who was watching him like a hawk. She merely raised an incredulous eyebrow before bursting into laughter. _Oh the irony,_ thought Samira as she continued to cackle. Ibiki could feel his amusement start to fade into annoyance as she continued to laugh heartily at him.

"Something funny?" he growled menacingly as he leaned down trying to intimidate her into submission by throwing his superior height and weight around.

"Ibiki," the Hokage snapped as he twisted to look at the hulking man over his shoulder, effectively making the hulking man straighten, Ibiki's face going unreadable. It was clear form the old man's tone and expression that he was most displeased.

"Sir?" Ibiki asked, the mirth no longer seen in his eyes.

"Stop antagonizing her. You already created enough of a mess for us," said the village leader, tone still displeased before he turned back around to take another puff of his pipe. As soon as the village leader's back was turned, Ibiki's smirk was back in place as he shot Samira a look, the young woman's amethyst eyes still boring into him. His smirk widened though his voice still sounded professional as he began to speak to Samira.

"Very well Sir. I must say young lady that you are very fortunate the Hokage here has decided to-"

"CRUNCH" the room froze at the sound before turning towards the source to find that Samira's foot was firmly planted in Ibiki's balls. All the men in the room flinched in shock as a high pitched wheeze came from Ibiki. She yanked her foot free and he began to tip over slowly, still wheezing as his tan skin turned pale. Crashing into the wall he slid to the floor and drew a strained breath before curling into himself at the pain, broken moans breaking past his lips. He could barely see though bleary eyes but he could still see the sympathetic looks that all the other men where sending him as he groaned in agony on the ground.

Naruto winced as his hands came up to cup his boyhood protectively before sending Samira a frightened look. She was still smirking over the downed man that was groaning on the ground.

"S-samira-chan?" he asked hesitantly, making her blink out of her thoughts and send him a questioning look.

"Remind me never to make you mad," he finished. She blinked in surprised before giving a laugh as she bound over to hug him.

"Oh silly boy, don't worry about me doing that to you. I want you to have kids one day so that I can spoil them rotten and then their auntie will tell them stories about their daddy when he was a kid just like them," she said with giggle as Naruto stiffened in surprise before melting into her hug. Was she really planning on hanging around him that long?! And had she just said auntie? But he didn't have any siblings... if that was what she meant, then wouldn't that make her his sister? Did she really consider him to be family already? The hope made his chest tighten excitedly.

Inoichi, Shikaku and the Hokage however where not amused as they watched the young woman warily like a dangerous beast. From the force of that kick, Ibiki would be lucky to be able to walk straight anytime soon. They had all winced collectively when they had realized what had happened to him. Ibiki on the other hand was seething as he struggled to recover.

"Y-you fucking bitch!" He spat as he raised burning black eyes to glare at her. His voice was comically high, but this didn't keep his words from angering her. She immediately scowled as she made her way to stoop in front of him, her face almost level with his as she glared back.

"You talking to me, dip shit?" she snapped her tone dangerous. His lips curled in anger.

"You fucking bitch, you think that-!" he was cut off as she grabbed his nose painfully tight before yanking it too and fro, as she tutted at him, his face being forced to follow his nose's movements.

"You are a Fucking. Ass. Whole." she bit out with a growl as she shook his nose. He snarl but he couldn't pull his increasingly abused nose away.

"You treated me like shit and terrorized me when I was already going through chaos and hell, so you are going to shut the fuck up and drop it or so help me..." she trailed off threateningly. He stopped struggling for a moment before suddenly yanking his nose free. She tried to draw her hand back but he was faster as he bit down hard on the fingers that had been holding his nose hostage. She yelped in pain before hissing as she ripped some of his nose hairs out making him cry out in pain, releasing her fingers as his eyes began to tear up.

"Fuck," they both growled at the same time. They paused before shooting each other heavy scowls as Shikaku and Inoichi traded amused glances. This kind of reminded them of that time when...

"Ahem," the Hokage cleared his throat pointedly making the occupants of the room return their attention once more to the subject at hand. "Ibiki, I called you here for a reason," the village leader reminded as the tall man scowled before gingerly climbing to his feet.

"Yes sir," he said as his voice cracked, still abnormally high but starting to return to normal. The Hokage regarded him for a moment and the young woman that was currently glaring at Ibiki before heaving a sigh. Ibiki's nose was starting to bleed from where the hairs had been ripped out and the two of them had teary eyes in reaction to the pain that they had received.

"I _was_ going to have you do the official mind read for Samira-san when she returned to Konoha but... I believe that this plan will no longer be feasible. To explain your... _obvious_ animosity towards one another, Ibiki, you will do something during the mental examination that is not considered acceptable and will be enough to warrant some anger from Samira-san. Ibiki, make sure you do it where a proctor or inspector can see it. Do not go to far in provoking her. I will then have Inoichi take your place in leading the exam since Ibiki will be considered compromised..." he murmured before heaving another sigh, this one sounding more tired. Samira felt a little guilt gnaw at her for causing the old man strain before Ibiki's grinning mug caught her attention and she shot him a glare.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I will think up something interesting in the mean time." said the hulk of a man. The Hokage nodded.

"Very well. Then you are dismissed if you have other duties to attend to. If you do not... there is an ice pack in the fridge and a couch in the other room. It would not do for you to be waddling around the village in pain. Someone might think that something is unusual and we don't want any independent investigations." said the older man. Ibiki nodded.

"Understood." with that he began to waddle into the kitchen area wincing as he walked, making all the other males send him sympathetic looks.

"Alright," said Shikaku as he re-broke the settling silence with a click of him uncorking his ink bottle. Samira shot him an odd look as he set up his writing utensils before looking up to meet her confused gaze, "Time to get to work on your cover story." She immediately grimaced. She did NOT want to talk about this. She entirely missed the way Inoichi shot her a sympathetic look as she shifted uneasily in place.

...

Growing up, Samira was a bit sheltered as well as isolated. She knew this. She didn't hang out with anyone except for her parents, (Beth and Dmitri Cloud,) or adults except for when she was in school, and she only saw her cousins in passing. She never wandered anywhere unattended and if she strayed or tried to go off on her own, she was gravely punished for such risky behavior. After all, a pedophile had tried to lure her away when she was about two or three years old. A family friend 'took care' of the situation, but that is a story for another time.

Anyways, she had a protective mother who was constantly watching out for her. She could argue that the woman was controlling and a micromanager but she was too confused on whether she should see her in that light or in a better one. Her father... well, he hadn't wanted to be a father but her mother had gotten pregnant two years into their marriage and there was no way he could make her get rid of the baby. It showed though her childhood and she could remember the verbal fights that she would get in with her father that would end with her mother coming to side with her or take the blame for whatever brought Dmitri's ire this time. Needless to say, he didn't like her very much and made a point of letting her know this in the earlier years of her life since he felt that she was spoiled by her mother's over protectiveness. When she got older, she and her father where able to act more civil towards one another. in fact things were going just great until that fateful crash.

However, the thing that probably made Samira's childhood the most difficult was how manipulative her family as a whole was. Her mother, her father, even her grandfather and grandmother. Her father's side of the family had nothing to do with her till she got older and useful. Needless to say, she never talked to them. It's not easy growing up in a family that is so bent on one-upping the other. It really hardened her heart to apathy or being understanding or trying to give others the benefit of the doubt after seeing these people back stab each other and lie and manipulate one another. Samira remembered how they would use a person's love for another against them, or pretend to be hurt or sick when in reality they were just trying to gain the upper hand in the situation. She hated it. And one of the worst parts of it was...

...She didn't even realize the extent of what was happening till she got older, well into her mid to late teens. To have her illusions shattered… It was crushing. She couldn't help but wonder if they ever really loved her at all when she realized that they could have been happier if better choices were made. If her mother hadn't done some of the foolish things she had done. If her father had actually been sincere when asking her mother to marry him, and wanted a family. If her grandfather hadn't all but brainwashed her mother to be dependent on others. If they had all been a little wiser, and kinder and if they all loved a little more and cut back a little on their political ambitions that made up their family.

Yes. They would have had years together; years full of good memories and good times instead of the pain and anger that filled those years. And that was what Samira the saddest. It was what made her weep her grief. She would sometimes weep for the family she could have had, but never would. But then again, there really wasn't much of a shot for the Cloud family to have a peaceful life full of happiness together, from the start. There was just too many variables that pointed to how this situation was going to end; explosively. And it did end, leaving something behind.

The yield was Samira, tight lipped Samira who didn't feel like going into detail about her past, who didn't want anyone's pity, who didn't want anyone to know her hardships. Sure, she smiled, she acted tough and she knew she could be a bit of a bitch when she got angry, but like Naruto, Samira has been keeping up a mask of cheerfulness. For years. All throughout school. It was actually partially because of school that Samira kept up this mask of hers so religiously and she was deathly ashamed of them, of her mother's brash out outspokenness, of both her parent's 'regular' drinking habits, of the foul language used at home, and the fact that her father hadn't wanted kids.

Compared to some households, things were not as bad as they could have been. She may have been verbally abused often in her late teens, smacked about two times, gotten into a physical fight with her mother once but this was all when things where becoming explosive, towards the end. No, things where not bad enough that she couldn't handle it, but that didn't meant that she felt like talking about it.

But Shikaku was asking her to delve into that time in her life. He wasn't just asking about the basics of events. He wanted to know all about her family. He was asking about how they interacted with one another. Her childhood friends. Home life. School. And she found herself not wanting to talk about it. At all. Because that was in the past, it wasn't pretty and she didn't want judgment or anyone's pity. And like an itch, a small fear that still haunted her through her childhood began to creep forth.

Sure there was no such thing as an ideal family, she had learned as she got older, but... what if they looked down on her for her upbringing? For the sins of her parents that she would have to bring up if she was talking about her past? About her own cowardice and passiveness when she might have been able to do something to make the situation better instead of cause more trouble...

If only she had been better. Sometimes she wished she had her wisdom as a child so that things hadn't ended up quite as they had. If she hadn't insisted that her parents had stayed together... then they probably would have been a lot happier. They wouldn't have gotten in that car wreak. they wouldn't have become alcoholics to just deal with having to be around each other...

These memories... that pain... this foolishness and stupidity... it was what shaped her childhood and so much of her life. It was shaped their deaths, and she couldn't help but wonder as her gaze lifted once more to meet Shikaku's dark eyes:

What was Naruto going to think of her after this?

* * *

_30 minutes later..._

Name: Samira Cloud

Location origin: United States of America

Age:22

Gender: Female

Height: 5 feet 6 inches

Weight: 124 lbs

Education Level- Bachelors degree

Family-

-Mother: Beth Cloud -deceased-

-Father: Dmitri Cloud -deceased-

-cousin: Andres Cloud -deceased-

-grandfather: Arnold Roost -deceased-

-grandmother: Emma Roost -deceased-

Background-

Samira Cloud: Born in the spring to Bethany and Dmitri Cloud. Grandfather and Grandmother Roost did not approve of daughter's choice in husband (a foreigner) or the child but came to Samira's birth anyways. Partially mended their previously strained relations. Seven months later, after a disastrous visit to Russia, Bethany and Dmitri would divorces and the mother would take custody of child. The mother remarried the next year and would separate from new husband a year later due to undisclosed information regarding her new husband ( He lied about something(?) Subject matter unknown.) Child would be around age two. Her mother would then return to Roost family and travel through the southern United States for the next two and a half years. A year later, she would remarry Dmitri and Samira would start school. Would change school often all throughout school career before finally graduating high school and going on to complete college. At around age fifteen/sixteen, her mother was killed in a car accident and her father put in a coma. She would leave her hometown to live with her Grandfather and Grandmother on her mother's side (Roost.) Best friend crashed into Lake a month previous to Samira and was reported most likely dead after being unable to recover body. A month later, Samira crashes into Lake and enters the ninja world.

* * *

Shikaku frowned as he looked over everything that was on his writing tablet before sighing in frustration. Despite the fact that Samira had been speaking about her past, she was still exceedingly vague over... well, everything! She would give him basics of the situation, what happened, who was involved, and a few more minor details but she wasn't really telling these stories of her past like he needed her too... she was just giving him a brief over view of what happened before rapidly moving along.

Inoichi sighed as he looked at the mostly blank tablet and the stiff young woman sitting in front of an increasingly impatient and frustrated Shikaku. Inoichi knew mostly why she didn't want to speak, and was hesitant to shatter what little bit of privacy Samira thought she had. He was afraid she would have a violent reaction... After all, finding out that someone want snooping through your memories while you were asleep and saw EVERYTHING that you wished to keep private tended to make people VERY angry VERY fast. He winced thinking about what had happened to Ibiki. She was abnormally fast for a civilian and he had felt her chakra flare before she had struck Ibiki. A chakra enhanced kick to the groin wasn't what he wanted today. Besides she was still a bit fragile dealing with all this new information and her new living situation. Too much too fast would overwhelm her.

They where currently sitting in silence as Shikaku continue to stare at his barely filled in scroll with increased agitation.

"And that's all?" the shadow user finally demanded, a bit incredulous at how little she had told him and the fact that she didn't seem like she wanted to expand on anything. Her lips tightened and she shot the man an annoyed look but didn't comment as Shikaku sighed in irritation and rubbed his eyes wearily.

Bloody hell, this was going to have to be the first time he thought of asking a woman to talk more about themselves, but he would have to just to get a feel for what her cover should be.

"Could you please expand more?" he asked with a sigh. Samira pursed her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

"About?" she hedged.

"Everything! You barely gave me anything to work with," grumbled Shikaku.

"Isn't that enough?" she asked as she gave a dainty sniff, clearly not budging. Shikaku started to glare.

"No. It's not. For your cover to be believable I need to hear from you what your past was like so I can craft a past that's as identical as possible so that you are less likely to have a slip up since the basics will be the same." He said sharply dark eyes boring into hers. Samira cringed but otherwise remained quiet.

"What's the matter princess? Cat got your tongue?" Ibiki taunted from a chair that was at the edge of the living room so that he could still see into the kitchen and dining area.

"Hey! Shut the hell up and leave Samira-chan alone scar face with the big jacket!" Naruto yelled as he entered the living room in time to catch the comment from the head of T and I. Ibiki scowled.

"What did you say kid?! Want to say that again?" he snapped as Naruto's eyes narrowed and the boy grit his teeth.

"I'm not afraid of some freak who thinks wearing a trench coat is going to make him look cool! You leave Samira-chan alone or you'll have to deal with me, 'ttebayo!" yelled the boy as he pointed a finger threateningly at the 'freak in the trench coat.'

"Watch it squirt, or else this freak is going to crush you," Snapped Ibiki. Naruto smirked smugly.

"Like Samira crushed your balls?" Ibiki growled as he began to get up. Shikaku sighed in exasperation as Inoichi shook his head. To think that Ibiki would rise to a kid's taunting. Kakashi however decided to put down his boring grey novel for a moment to intervene.

"Ma, ma, no need to get so worked up, Ibiki-san. Naruto, why don't you go help Samira-chan with her profile, hmm?" Naruto paused before turning to send Samira a questioning look as he moved to her side before sitting beside her as Kakashi placated Ibiki.

"Hey are you making your profile?" he demanded with interest as the two other men argued. She blinked, before she nodded hesitantly.

"Uh, yeah..."

"Great! I'll help! Don't worry, this won't take any time at all 'ttebayo!" he said confidently as he took the scroll so he could look over what Shikaku had written so far. He frowned as he came to the background section.

"Ne, Samira-chan, this part is empty," he said as he shot her a curious look. She looked at him hesitantly not sure what to say to that. It wasn't **_that_** empty...

There was at least a paragraph there.

"...I guess… Sort of?" she said slowly, uncertain, her eyes cautious. The boy pursed his lips for a moment as he hummed in thought.

"But what about your family Samira-chan? Didn't you tell me that you used to have a lot of cats? What about your home? The one by that lake? Oh and that your best friend-" "Is dead." She said, cutting him off. Naruto blinked as he realized that she wasn't looking at him. He sat forward slightly to see her eyes better and in them, he could see the pain and sorrow. _Wait, now that I think about it..._ Naruto looked down at Samira's profile again, his eyes pausing when he came across the section that mentions family. He swallowed hard. Whenever she had talked about anyone, which was rare, it had always been in the past tense and he hadn't thought to ask her about it till now. Deceased, deceased, deceased… It seemed that she was alone, like him.

"Samira-chan?" he asked hesitantly, his own thoughts roving to his own past. How long had she been an orphan? She was twenty two so it couldn't have been long unless… she had never had parents. No, he remembered her telling him about her mother and father in passing so that couldn't have been it. She turned to look at him her face blank, eyes flat. They stared at each other for a moment as time seemed to stand still.

Naruto suddenly threw his arms around her as he sudden leapt at her. Samira yelped as the two of them where thrown off balance and tumbled to the floor.

"Naruto, what-"

"I'm sorry." Whispered the boy as he clung to her, hiding his face in her chest. She continued to stare at him in confusion as she carefully wrapped her arms around him. After a moment the boy looked up, his eyes brimming with tears.

"I'm sorry. I-it was pretty tough, wasn't it?" he whispered, referring to her past. Her face twisted as her lower lip trembled slightly. She cleared her throat and rapidly blinked the tear away before they could gather.

"Naruto, I don't like talking about it because there is just so much that I don't want to talk about. I don't want to be judged by anyone for my life." She murmured as she raised them to where they were both sitting.

"Judge you?" Naruto parroted uncertainly. The woman held back a flinch but the boy caught it.

"Hey, Hey, I would never judge you Samira-chan!" he said as he scrambled to stand in front of her sitting form, his hands on her shoulders as he gazed at her seriously, trying to reassure her. "No matter what, you'll always be Samira-can! That won't change, and I know that you're a good person, so it's ok." Said Naruto earnestly as he took her hands in his.

"But that's not the only reason Naruto," she murmured as the boy's face twisted in confusion. After a moment she sighed before elaborating.

"I don't want... I'm afraid that I get started... I will end up drowning in my feelings, and I'm not comfortable sharing that with strangers," she paused as she grimaced, her gaze flashing to Shikaku. Naruto's eyes widened and he swallowed, his grip on her hands tightening slightly.

"Samira-chan." he whispered, his face grave with concern. She deflated slightly as her grim expression broke away, showing her worry for the suddenly gloomy little boy.

"Hey! It's alright! I'm fine. I have been for a long time now and things are good. I just don't like dwelling on the past," she murmured as she ran her fingers through his hair comfortingly. She didn't want to upset him. A second later Naruto had enveloped her in a crushing hug. He had seen the concern for him in her eyes and he found his heart swelling with warmth as happiness bubbled up in his chest. She really was a kind person, and he really hoped that she would stay his Nee-chan forever, until he had kids and she could tell them stories about their father and tease him.

"Don't worry Samira-chan." he whispered as he continued to hold onto her, his grip fierce and comforting, "I think that you're one of the strongest ladies I know! And it may be a bit hard, but I know that you can do it! You've face hardship before, so facing this profile will be no sweat. And Shikaku-san is cool. He will understand if you start getting mad or upset or something, and if he doesn't get it, Inoichi-san will." he said, his voice determined at the end. Samira blinked while trying to understand his words.

"Really?" she asked quietly. Naruto nodded confidently, blue eyes blazing.

"Yup! And you know what? I bet these guys will admire you after hearing about your past!" he said with a mischievous wink before starting to snicker. As he had expected, Samira's cheek lit up in embarrassment at the thought. He knew how bashful she could be at times and this would be the perfect way to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, I definitely don't want to talk about it now," she said jokingly as Naruto groaned in disappointment.

"Aw, Samira-chan! No fair! I wanted to hear about you when you were a kid too!" Samira-chuckled as she ruffled his hair.

"Well, I could tell you a couple of stories. But that's all!" she said, still a bit prickly towards the subject, but Inoichi could feel his smile growing. It was a step, towards their goal, but a solid step, that much was certain. But first, they where going to have to move this to the living room. it would be easier for everyone to hear what she had to say that way.

A good ten minutes later the two of them where outright laughing over some of the funny thing that she had gotten up to in her childhood and teens.

"You where a goofball when you were a kid, weren't you?" Kakashi teased as Samira snickered eyes sparkling.

"Oh you bet! And completely awkward when it came to being social. Needless to say, I did not click with my age group till around high school." She said with a chuckle.

"Whaaaat? But you're so cool Samira-chan!" whined Naruto as she rolled her eyes at his exaggerated speaking.

"Yeah yeah, flattery will get you nowhere with me kiddo," she said as she mussed up his hair. He pouted.

"Aw come on. This is supposed to be about your profile Samira-chan! You've got to get it done sometime," he groaned. She scowled at the floor for a moment as her mind churned. The boy had a point, she was going to have to face the music at some point and there was no telling how long this could take. After telling those few stories she had started to warm up to the idea, but still...

No. She wanted to stay here with Naruto. She wanted to be here with him and get to know this village as a citizen. If she was going to do that however, she was going to have to get this done.

"Fine." She said, making them pause and look at her at her serious tone. Naruto's eyes widened as he scrambled into a sitting position instead of lounging on the floor.

"R-really?" he gasped. Samira immediately scowled.

"Yes. Really."

* * *

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"Your father was a real prick when you where little." Kakashi noted. Samira snorted.

"That's an understatement. But I was an annoying little shit that he didn't want back then too so I can't really blame him too much for it."

"Hn." He hummed thoughtfully.

"Your relationship with your mother was… complicated." Kakashi stated carefully with a grimace.

"Fuck, how many more understatements are you going to make over this?!" Samira groaned as she slap a palm to her face, leaving a red mark.

"Sorry, sorry. Geez. Sensitive much?" Grumbled Kakashi as he pulled out the grey book that he had been reading.

"Yes, I am! Very much, thank you." Muttered the young woman.

"You weren't joking when you said that you would end up crying and ranting over this, where you?" Ibiki said, sounding a bit grumpy. Samira gave a harsh bark of a laugh, the bitterness in it almost palpable.

"You know, when people say they don't want to talk about something, its usually for a good reason. Maa, I could go for some alcohol," she said with a sigh.

"I second that," Said Shikaku dryly as Ibiki nodded.

"I'm in." he said before the sound of a growling stomach cut through the tense silence in the living room. Everyone turned to look at Ibiki who blinked in surprise before he scowled, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment as his stomach growled again. Most chuckled quietly as Ibiki sent his comrades a glare.

"Well, I was feeling a bit peckish myself. Why don't we grab a quick bite to eat first before we hit up the bar, ne?" asked Kakashi as his eye crinkled shut in a smile.

"We can't all be seen together since it would seem a bit odd. How are we going to disguise ourselves?" Asked Samira as she stood, looking curious. Inoichi grunted as he fished a scroll out of the jacket that he had left by the door before opening it and unsealing a wig and a contact lense case.

"You, are going to have to use these."

"What about you?" With a smirk Inoichi put his hands in a familiar hand sign and there was a poof of smoke. In his place was a nondescript Konoha ninja around is height and with his body type.

"Don't worry about that. Just get you own disguise on."

...

Shikaku sighed looking over his notes in the light of the lamps in his study. It might have taken a while, but he had enough information on Samira Cloud now to be able to craft a permanent cover for her, from childhood friends to pets and locations. He just needed to research areas that would be hard to check for validity. Thankfully for him, her first five or so years of life where spent traveling with her mother and grandparents, through the southern United States. He would make sure to have Jiraiya take her to some areas so she could familiarize herself with them enough.

Shikaku paused a moment to think about how the toad Sannin would react when he found out what they were about to ask of him...

Needless to say, Shikaku laughed without humor before breaking out the saké bottle at the sudden amount of stress he was feeling. Yup, definitely not a good reaction... Oh boy, he better get to work on her cover. He shook his head after taking a big swig of the alcohol to calm his nerves before settling down at his desk so he could get to work. He was going to be for a long night.

...

Naruto sat out on the roof as he looked up at the stars, thinking on what Samira-chan had told him and the others regarding her past. She had seen a lot and done a lot in her twenty two years... she had been through a lot too... he frowned his eyes sliding shut as he recalled what she had said about her first and only kill.

_Flashback_

_"I wish it hadn't happened but... he made a choice, and that choice led him to the end of his road, me. And when it came down to it, I chose my life over his. I would do it again too. I have no regrets over my actions. If I do regret something, it's that he didn't choose a different path."_

_Flashback ends_

He sighed, knowing that one day as a ninja he was going to have to do the same, just like Samira-chan. He would face it then, when the day comes... but until then… he closed his eyes tiredly.

...

Samira sighed as she wandered up onto the roof, the dark making only mildly difficult to find the missing boy. He was breathing softly from where he lay stretched out, asleep, the quiet buzz of the night life a light hum in the distance. Samira tilted her head back to gaze up at the stars for a minute, just enjoying their beauty. Should she just let him sleep out here? She shivered as a gust of the cool air hit her and she swiftly made her way over so she could heft the boy into her arms with a grunt. No, it was too cold, and it was time for bed. He hadn't brushed his teeth or gotten ready for bed but he must have been tired so she was just going to let him rest for now. After all, today had been a long day.

...

Ibiki made his way slowly through the streets of Konoha as he headed towards his destination, lost deeply in thought. In his mind's eye he couldn't help but remember the way Samira had laughed tonight, at a rather dirty joke that Kakashi had cracked over dinner. It had been so light and silly, as if she hadn't been stained by suffering and pain... Then there was the fact that she was acting at ease despite the fact that she was wearing a wig and contacts when she entered the restaurant and they had all been under various henge, including Naruto. After all it would seem suspicious if they went as themselves to a restaurant with an unknown woman. Any decent ninja of Danzo's or under the council would put two and two together and their cover would be blown for this operation.

She was rather competent though, he had realized listening to the way she talked and told them over her past. He had definitely enjoyed her biting wit before, and she was rather observative at times. Maybe she really did have what it took to be a ninja. She was definitely ballsy enough to make the cut, since she had stood up to him and hadn't back down from a fight even though it could have been dangerous. Still she had kicked him in the family jewels. But then again, he hadn't been the kindest person to her when they first met… He could have at least given her a heads up before acting like he was going to drop her from a tree limb... He found his scowl creeping back into place. What an annoying woman. Going and making him actually feel a bit bad for taunting her. Well he wasn't going to go easy on her when the time came for them to battle in a game of sharp words just because he might mildly respected her now. She seemed to not want pity or special treatment of any kind, so he wouldn't give it to her. Besides it would probably be more insulting to her if he went easy on her. But... just in case... he would keep an eye out and make sure he didn't push too far when trying to taunt her. He could feel a few prominent ideas swirling around in his head for what he should say to her next time they met. It would be when she returned to Konoha after training with Jiraiya, and he would have to say something to make her livid. His eyes widened as an idea struck him. It was brilliant!

Satisfied with his plan he cracked a dark grin before bursting into laughter, making the shinobi around him shoot him nervous looks. After all, when Morino Ibiki started laughing like that, it was usually time to run. Especially when he seemed so pleased about something... Nope, definitely not good...

...

Kakashi made his way easily across the village roof tops, mind adrift as he looked back on his childhood. She had brought up a lot of things today that had gotten him thinking on his own past, and his own mistakes. He thought about his father and their rocky relationship before his father committed seppuku, traditional suicide to wipe away the shame of one's actions. He thought about his friends, or lack thereof and how he treated people growing up, and he found himself smiling sheepishly at the memory of the first time Gai challenged him. He was such a brat back then acting aloof whenever Gai challenged him. Minato sensei had been kind and patient considering how annoying Kakashi's extreme attitude back in the day when all he could do was follow the rules. And he had paid the price... unthinkingly his hand reached up to touch the covered sharingan, his mind replaying how he had gotten it. Not paying that much attention he almost ran into a low hanging wire but he sensed it and reacted quick enough to leap over it in time. He skidded to a stop before sighing.

"Yare yare, she just seems to drag up the past no matter which way I look at it," he murmured to himself before continuing towards his apartment. This time however he paid attention to his surroundings. He could think when he finally got where he needed to go. They were going to have a big day tomorrow. All of them. After all, Jiraiya would be arriving early tomorrow, and they would be able to set their plans in motion.

* * *

**Fliscent- Aaaaand CUT! Excellent job every body! Take five!**

**Samira- whew. All that drama! Yuck! Couldn't you have done something else for my back ground? I don't want to be an emo or something.**

**Fliscent- *sighs tiredly* we've been over this Samira. You've been faced with adversity, and it has made you a strong person, strong enough to be able to be a ninja. Get over it.**

**Samira-But, but-!**

**Kakashi- Maa, Maa, Samira-san. Its already been said and done. Just let it go.**

**Itachi- I do not see why I am still here...**

**Fliscent- *scowls* to go get my FIVE REVIEWS! Didn't you tell me to take five, Itachi?**

**Itachi- your puns grow boring, foolish little girl.**

**Fliscent- *evil grin* You're going to regret saying that. Just you wait. I am a patient woman, Itachi-kun.**

**Itachi- -/_\\- foolish little woman I doubt that there is anything that you could-**

**Fliscent- *Hold up plot draft***

**Itachi- O/_\O* **

**Fliscent- Yes?**

**Itachi- TT^TT ...N-never mind.**

**Samira- ACK! MY EYES!**

**Kakashi- Maa, I think we all know now what really cause Itachi's blindness...**

* * *

**AN: Remember... at the very least FIVE REVIEWS FOR PART TWO! Mwahahahaaaaa! I could post it tomorrow if I got all those reviews today... kukuku...**


	9. Chapter 7, Part II

**AN: Ok. A deal is a deal and you guys have done your part. I would Like to thank  Dame Lee Lee,myharlequinromance321, Kimiama, .3 and Dchan3 for reviewing. Here is part two.**

**... **

**Unlikely Love**

_These are thoughts_, I mused.

"This is speaking regular for everyone else" to this is Japanese

"This is **_emphasis_**"

**"This is English (also used as a high clearance Anbu code in the Narutovese)"**

...

...

...

Chapter 7,

**...Part II...**

**Enter the Toad**

Jiraiya sighed as the sight of Konoha's great gates began to loom in the distance, as a range of emotions filled him. Pleasure at seeing his beloved village after so long, annoyance that he had been called away from his work so suddenly and without much explanation, worry over what could have been so direly important, and cold determination to face whatever emergency had called him back . After all, it wasn't often that he received summons like this and usually it did not bode well. He had made good time after receiving an urgent summons from the Hokage yesterday through a monkey summon. Thankfully, he had actually been fairly close to the village when he had received the message and didn't have to stop through the night as he traveled. As the sun began to peek over the horizon and the gates began to open Jiraiya pushed ahead, intent on seeing what his sensei needed that was so urgent.

* * *

Samira fidgeted where she sat in the office before the Hokage. To say that she was nervous and on high alert would have been an understatement, with the way her palms where sweating and how her hands shook with adrenaline. Yesterday had been a hard day, but today was going to be even more so from what the Hokage had mentioned in passing. Her stomach had dropped in dread when Shikaku explained to her that they were going to send her out of the village with a special man who would teach her all she needed to know and groom her on her cover story.

_Flashback_

_"What?" She gasped dread filling her. They were kicking her out?_

_"W-why do I have to leave the village?" she demanded, worried that they might be just getting rid of her and worried about who was going to look after Naruto._

_"It is to fill the part of our cover story. It's obvious that you are a foreigner so trying to claim that you have been in the village the whole time would be foolish. Just having you appear in the village the way you are would be even more foolish."_

_"Then what's my cover story?" She asked._

_"You are the daughter of Uzumaki Kumoto and Hanamori. We will claim that they were part of Jiraiya's spy network near the south of Hi no Kuni where some of the larger port cities are. A lot of people come and go so it will be harder to verify your origins and it would make sense for him to have spies in that area since it is rich in gossip. Since your family kept you home most of the time because they wished to keep an eye on you, it will fit perfectly with your past, since both areas are not kid friendly enough to have children roam without supervision. It will also explain why you are not easily recognized in the areas. Your family moved to the coast since it was easier on your mother's lungs since she had a breathing disorder. You where mainly raised civilian but when your parents took in a wandering Taijutsu master, you learned his skills. You also learned the erhu while going to school. When you where fifteen, your parents were identified as spies by some foreign ninja and killed. Jiraiya rushed you from the city and to the shelter of your grandparents until you reached seventeen and realized that you wanted to come to the village hidden in the leaves to become a ninja. You hunt down Jiraiya in the next two years and call in your favor, reminding him of why your parents died. He agrees to help you to the village, but you must travel with him and he will only teach you if he deems you worthy. You agree and the two of you travel around from place to place. And then you heard that there was a boy there with the last name Uzumaki living in the village from Jiraiya. Well, that's the simplified version of it," said Shikaku with a bored wave of his hand as Samira gasped at him in shock._

_"A-a ninja? Wait what?! He's going to be training me to be a ninja?!" She nearly shrieked in shock, mixed emotions raging. Shikaku winced at her volume as he sighed in annoyance._

_"Quiet down woman. Maybe. You will only be trained if he deems you worthy of being taught. The Hokage might be able to order Jiraiya to solidify your cover for you, but he can't make him train you. Jiraiya is far too stubborn to take on another student without some serious incentive." he said with a sigh. Samira was reeling but a part of her was eager to learn to be a ninja. That would just be so... so amazing! Wow..._

_"Well, why can't one of you train me? Why does it have to be this guy if he's so damn picky?" she asked as Shikaku sighed._

_"For one, we," At this he gestured to everyone that was in the room which included Ibiki, Kakashi and Inoichi, "can't leave the village our selves without making the cover seem suspicious. We are Clan heads, Department heads and Kakashi is famous in his own right and would be sorely missed if we left and we need someone who will know how to place the foundation for your cover throughout the land of fire, in case anyone decides to look into your past. Someone who's traveling habits will not seem out of the norm." She frowned._

_"Ok, I get that part. That's not what I was asking. I was asking why does he have to be the one to train me, not why he has to make my cover believable." She asked. Shikaku hummed in understanding._

_"Let me put it this way," said Kakashi, "He is a legendary ninja. Legendary among legends and very VERY powerful. To be taught by him would be a great honor and if you are taught by him, it will give you enough political sway to stay in the village." At Samira's puzzled expression he continued._

_"When you return, the council will be called to debate the issue of your presence in this village because of your bloodline, the Uzumaki bloodline, mainly because they will be concern that you will try to take or influence Naruto against the village, since you are his only living relative that they will know of. Because of this they will try to have you forced from the village. You need to find a way to get that man to train you. If he does, he will back you enough that the council will have no choice but to allow you to stay despite their disapproval. It is mainly the elders and the civilian representative that will be an issue." Samira blinked dazedly before groaning._

_"My head hurts. How much more of this is there?" she muttered. Shikaku laughed without humor before dropping a large stack of papers on the table. Samira's eyes went wide._

_"You think THAT is bad, I was the one to had to come up with everything," Shikaku groused._

_"Bloody freakin' hell, did you do that all last night?" Samira breathed, admiration warring with horror. Shikaku snorted as he pointed lazily at his face, more specifically the shadows under his eyes._

_"Does it look like I got any sleep last night?" he asked as Samira grimaced before bowing her head respectfully._

_"Thank you very much Shikaku-sama." she murmured gratefully. The man snorted as a grin quirked his mouth into a lazy smirk._

_"Just Shikaku-san is fine. In front of the council however, make sure to use the -sama," he said as she nodded before Inoichi cleared his throat._

_"Samira-san, I believe its time I performed the memory transference technique on you." he said making her blink in shock._

_"T-the what?"_

_"I will be transferring knowledge of our writing system to you so that you will be able to properly read our language. I will also transfer knowledge such as traditions and colloquialisms to your mind as well," He said making her stare at him in stunned shock. He could do that?_

_Yes he could and it gave her a nosebleed and a roaring head ache._

_Flashback ends_

Now that the blur of information had died down, Samira was now left to her fretting as she worried over the things that could go wrong with this plan. The man they all mentioned sounded so prickly, and she wasn't the most charming of individuals anymore. The sound of shuffling made pulled her from her thoughts and she looked up. The older man was sitting calmly before her as he puffed away contently on his pipe. Shikaku was currently asleep in his chair, his long night catching up with him and Kakashi was in the corner of the room looking board. Ibiki wasn't here this time since he was busy playing catch up with the work he hadn't gotten done yesterday. Her eyes drifted to where there were two empty chairs sat open in the room, since Inoichi had left the office to go receive someone from the front gate who would be joining them.

_I wish I could have brought Naruto_, Samira thought with a grimace as her gaze drifted across the mostly silent office, but he had had school. It was too quiet for her liking, and it was getting on her nerves, making her more nervous.

Thump!

She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden sound and her head snapped around to find the source of the sound. A muffled groan came from outside the window from the man that had collided with it. Through the glass she could see him cradled his nose with a grimace as his wildly long white hair flowed in the breeze, the soft white spikes shifting like a mane around his large broad shoulders. Long red tear tracks marked the outer parts of his eyes and ran all the way down to his jaw line. He was easily the tallest man Samira had seen from this world so far, dwarfing the rest of them with ease. He had to be at least six feet tall, and the wooden geta sandals he wore only added to his height. The Hokage shook his head in annoyance before he reached out to touch the window. A series of black ink marks suddenly made their selves visible as a thrum of energy filled the room. The window opened to permit the white haired man entrance. Still grimacing the tall white haired man stepped into the office as the Hokage swiftly touched the ink again, making it invisible once more.

"Why did you put up a barrier seal sensei?" grumbled the towering white haired man as the sound of his clogs filled the office as he moved to lean against the wall, still cradling his red nose. Hiruzen took his place behind his desk once more instead of answering right away.

"Because this is an SS class secret, Jiraiya, and I need you to fulfill an assignment for me," said the Hokage seriously making the white haired Jiraiya pause to look at his teacher. His brow furrowed slightly before his eyes darted around the room, taking in Kakashi, and a sleeping Shikaku. He frowned when he realized there was someone else that was seated slightly out of sight and he moved forward so he could see better. He paused as his breath caught in his throat when the short haired beauty came into sight, her purple eyes cautious and appraising as she watched him. She was a bit underweight but it was undeniable that she would be a beauty if she gained a few pounds.

"Why hello there beautiful," Jiraiya said smoothly as he sent her a charming grin. She blinked in surprise before frowning in confusion as she leaned over and nudged Shikaku who sleepily opened up a bloodshot eye.

**"What's this guy's deal?"** she asked quietly, speaking in English. Shikaku sighed.

**"Might as well tell you now. He's a total perv. A letch, womanizer, etc etc."** he said with a wide yawn as Jiraiya bristled indignantly at the comment.

**"Hey! I'll have you know that I'm not just a pervert..."** he paused before taking a dramatic kabuki stance.

**"I'm a super pervert!"**

**"And you called him a legend among legends. I'm screwed,"** Samira groaned as she face palmed.

**"Only if you want to be,"** Jiraiya purred as he took a step forward making Samira stiffen as she blushed at the innuendo. Hiruzen let loose a cloud of smoke as he sighed

"Sit down. We have much to discuss." He commanded to get the group back on track. There was a mumble of 'troublesome' from Shikaku but otherwise everyone settled into their seats, Jiraiya's face still in a cheeky grin while Samira looked uncomfortable. All eyes snapped up when the seal on the door flared before admitting Inoichi who paused as he took in the tense atmosphere. Shutting the door swiftly behind him he frowned slightly as he moved to take his seat.

"It appears that I just missed you Jiraiya-sama." he said carefully as he looked around, trying to see if he could pick up on what had caused the frigid atmosphere." It was Jiraiya that finally broke the stillness by leaning back in his seat so he could run his hands over his face with a sigh.

"Now, I know you must be wondering why I have called you here today Jiraiya," said the Hokage before continuing. "As my student and a past candidate for Hokage, you are aware for the Forbidden Lake," stated the Hokage. Jiraiya nodded.

"Yes. What's this got to do with anything?" he asked. The office was silent for a moment as several eyes drifted towards Samira.

"About a month and a week ago, Orochimaru broke into the lake and took three people, a little boy, his mother and a young woman who had just come out of the lake, before leaving without a trace, leaving many dead in his wake. It is still uncertain how he gained information pertaining to these people, or how he bypassed the barrier. So when Samira-san here, came through the lake a month ago, she was brought back to Konoha." Said the Hokage as he began to puff away on his relit pipe. Jiraiya turned his startled gaze on the young woman beside him who met his gaze firmly. So she was from the lake? He frowned realizing that she must have already had her metamorphosis. His memory on the subject was a bit hazy, but he could still remember enough to find himself wondering who she had gotten her blood from and why he was here.

"Who was the blood donor? I don't recall seeing anyone with her appearance in Konoha for a long time," Jiraiya asked as his sensei continued to puff away on his pipe. The old man blew out a plume that curled lazily towards the ceiling as it fill the room with its scent.

"Uzumaki Naruto." He said. Jiraiya stiffened in shock his head whipping around as she stared wide eyed at his sensei.

"What?!"

"Yes. Young Naruto was actually the one that handled her entire transformation. She accidentally drained him of most of his chakra during the change but the boy is perfectly fine." Answered his sensei.

"And the seal?" Jiraiya demanded nervously. If she drained him of so much chakra, there was a chance that she had weakened the seal...

"It's fine. I already checked it and there is nothing amiss."

"Why would you endanger him like that sensei?! You know how chakra consuming a metamorphosis is and-"

"I did no such thing, Jiraiya, nor would I ever do such a thing. A couple of days after arriving to the village, the young lady escaped from the hospital in the night, intent on escaping Konoha. On the way, she was accosted by a drunk, and Uzumaki Naruto, who was passing by came to her aid, before the two of them fled from the drunk. From there, being the kind spirit he is, Naruto-kun offered to have Samira-san stay with him after finding out that she was alone and without shelter. She has been staying with him ever since, until her change hit and then Naruto brought her presence to our attention. Before escaping, Samira was under the impression that she was going to turn into an experiment which is why she fled. When Naruto confronted me, he mentioned that she was being hunted by enemy ninja. I came to the conclusion that it had been Danzo, and we have taken every precaution to prevent her true identity from being discovered. We realized after the fact however that the so called enemy was us. I and Shikaku have thought this over and have decided that the best thing to do would be to keep Samira-san's true identity and origins secret for good, and for that we are going to need your help. We have already confirmed through our sources that she is trust worthy, skilled and has the best interests in mind," said the older man as Jiraiya's eyebrows rose in surprise. He had a sinking feeling in his gut that told him that he wasn't going to like what was going to be asked of him, especially if he had been called here to the village not to look at the seal, but on this young woman's behalf.

"Oh? And what are you going to do then?" asked Jiraiya carefully, as he eyed his sensei cautiously.

"We are going to create a deep cover for her. It has been decided that she would make an excellent citizen and a good guardian, and if she chooses, a powerful ninja as well." said Hiruzen.

**"Why would you trust me like that? Why would you give me the option to become a ninja, to empower me when you know next to nothing about me? Sure I told you about my past but I doubt that ninja take much stock in people's word,"** she asked quietly, the puzzlement in her voice clear. From the look of this so far, there was no way they could have gathered the information needed to discern whether or not she was a threat to the village, and these where ninja, the most distrusting paranoid people in existence. Something just wasn't adding up.

The Hokage looked to Inoichi beseechingly and the man began to shift uneasily, clearly not wanting to explain. Annoyed, the Hokage began to speak up.

**"As you have experienced firsthand, Inoichi-san happens to be the clan head of a very powerful clan that happens to have a great many forbidden jutsus, which revolve around the mind. Inoichi himself went through your mind and has been the one to relay to us what he found, that you have the mindset to become a ninja and that you have enough past skills and potential to be able to become a great one if you choose. He is also certain that you care a great deal for my young charge, and by minor proxy, the village and should be trustworthy enough."** Samira blinked in shock as she sat there, too struck dumb to speak. _He went through my mind?!_ She shrieked on the inside as her face went pale. What had he seen? Her eyes widened as she realized that Inoichi hadn't wanted to mention the fact that he had been in her mind and the Hokage had had to be the one to tell her.

**"What did you see that you didn't want me to find out about?"** she finally demanded, her voice tight and horrified as she looked to the cringing Inoichi. His gaze lost focus for a moment and a giant blush covered his face from hair line to neck as his nose began to leak blood. Samira's jaw could only drop in horror at the not comforting reaction.

**"Oh, I get it now,"** said Jiraiya as a lecherous grin covered his face as a creepy chuckle broke past his lips.

**"Inoichi!"** Samira demanded furiously, looking too appalled to say much else. The blood flow from his nose began to grow stronger **and he swiftly staggered to his feet.**

**"N-nothing Samira-san. Your secrets are safe with me,"** he muttered as he turned away, clearly embarrassed. Samira frowned, trying to think of what he could have seen that had created that sort of reaction. Whatever it was it couldn't have been good, and yet…

"Well old man, this is great and all, but why did you call me back to the village?" asked Jiraiya as the female continued to try and figure out what Inoichi had seen. Jiraiya was growing restless and wanted to turn down the old man as soon as possible so he could just get out of here. After all, this entire trip to Konoha had been unplanned and he needed to be back by evening to be able to meet up with his contacts, and he was going to have to move swiftly to do so. That way he could be back in time to get some rest and to meet them at the predetermined location. Hiruzen's lips tightened at his students tone and the older man shot Jiraiya a disapproving look before speaking.

"We will be claiming that this young lady here is a cousin to Naruto, and for that, she will need some skill in fuinjutsu, as well as some basic skill in the ninja arts since it will be part of her cover. If she chooses to be a ninja then we will also need someone to train her up to at least chunin level. We also need to have someone with enough power backing her for her to come into the village. We need you to train her Jiraiya," finally finished the Hokage, his voice, holding no room for argument. Jiraiya could feel his throat going dry as his eyes widened slightly in alarm. His old sensei couldn't be serious, could he? And why was she going to be posing as Naruto's cousin, huh? Sure she had the fiery red hair, but other than that he could see no resemblance. In fact, her posing as his cousin would only make things more difficult in the long run.

"We will use the fact that you are her mentor as an excuse in the future for her knowledge of English, if anyone should find out and recognize her speaking or using it. Shikaku is still working out the tiny details to his plan, but we will send the rest of them to you as soon as they have been solidified, via summoning. For now, we need you to take her with you incognito, before Danzo's hounds catch a whiff of her." Jiraiya's stomach dropped in dread as his sensei continues speaking, "Here are the funds to procure her some traveling cloths and goods needed as soon as you reach the town you are still residing in, Jiraiya. There should be more than enough her to cover all her needs. If there is a problem with money, contact me using your toad summons, and she will be taking her instrument with her. Now, before-"

"Wait wait, hold up! I can't just take a random woman with me, Sensei! Geez, how am I going to do my spy work with her tagging around, needing me to hold her hand and whip her chin all the time huh?" Jiraiya demanded as Hiruzen sighed.

"That's what shadow clones are for." Jiraiya just scoffed as he crossed his arms, his annoyance starting to grow.

"And just why the hell should I take her to be my student, huh? She'll probably complain about my lecherous ways and nag at me like some old wife. From what you've told me she's a civilian so you should just forget about her becoming a ninja. She's far too old to start learning to be one now. And then you're asking me to teach her fuinjutsu. Hah! What a joke. She can't even speak our language, much less write in it." He said as Hiruzen's lips tightened in anger at his students callous words as Samira merely snorted in amusement, a slight smirk dotting her lips as she got comfortable in her chair. It was going to be funny when this guy realized how much of an ass he was making of himself.

"Jiraiya, she is very important to Naruto, and she will become a great asset to this village. But for that to happen we will need your help." Jiraiya could feel his eyes narrow. Was his sensei really trying to employ guilt tactics on him? That was a low blow, trying to use his godson against him like that and he found his anger growing. Not only where they demanding something nearly impossible of him, they were going to expect him to succeed in training up some civi wanna be who couldn't even speak the damn language. And they wanted her trained in _fuinjutsu_. Something that took _years_ to learn. Hell, she was going to be dead by the time she got even remotely good at it. They were out of their fucking minds and making unreasonable demands of him and he was going to let them know.

"Training her will take up a huge amount of my time, time I'm not willing to spend on her, just because I'm being ordered to. If she's just going to end up dead in the next two year why all the trouble?" Jiraiya snapped angrily. Hiruzen's face darkened with anger and he opened his mouth to speak but was beaten to it.

"Well, I have to admit, you have some good points," Samira mused quietly as Jiraiya stiffened in shock. She had just understood what he had been saying about her behind her back?

"Y-you can-"

"Yes, I can understand you. The fact however, is that you brought up some valid points, Jiraiya-san. Fuinjutsu will not be a problem because I can speak, read _and_ write in your language. Yes, I am a civilian woman, and have been one for twenty two years. I would have thought that that would be a problem as well, however…" she grimaced, "Inoichi has been through my memories. He seems to think that my mentality isn't as civilian as I had originally thought. I'll admit that I do have martial arts training, or taijutsu training as you call it, as well as some very minor weapon training. I am a fast study and have always been rather… adaptive to new situations. As for you being a letch… well," she paused to shake her head as she gave a careless shrug.

"That's your thing. As long as you don't grope me or try to force yourself on me, I really couldn't care less about you being a pervert. You are a grown man, and by the looks of it, in your forties. It's not my place to dictate to your personal life. As for you holding my hand… I'd prefer you not. It would probably be creepy and make me uncomfortable. As for whipping my chin… I'd prefer that not happen either since the only way that would happen would be because something has incapacitated me to the point that I require that level of assistance." She said, tone level as she shot him an amused look. Jiraiya continued to stare at her, a bit thrown as to how to react. He had said some pretty harsh stuff but she wasn't get angry of reactive or looking remotely wounded by what he had just said. In fact if anything, her eyes looked… cold. She did not shy away from his gaze as she continued to stare at him and he at her. He frowned slightly. Those weren't the eyes of a civilian. No, those where shinobi eyes. It was odd seeing them in a civilian's face.

"You never address your short lifespan," he prompted calmly, eyes searching hers. Amusement and triumph lit up the violet depths and she plucked a scroll out of the pile that was on the Hokage's desk before handing it to him. He frowned as he opened it instantly realizing that this was the lab analysis of her blood. His eyes paused over the decay rate and widened.

"As you can see… I'm not going anywhere any time soon." Jiraiya slowly rolled up the scroll once more.

"How?" Samira merely shrugged as she continued to hold his gaze.

"Hell if I know. A freak of Nature perhaps." Jiraiya's eyebrows rose questioningly at her light words.

"How can you be so flippant?" he asked, not really sure what she was thinking. She grinned slightly.

"Well, I was never told I was dying till after the problem was mysteriously solved. Why get worked up over a problem after the fact that it has resolved itself?" she asked as Jiraiya grunted in agreement.

"I see your point…" he murmured as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. It was a lot to take in at once.

"You are feeling overwhelmed," she noted as she hummed thoughtfully. Jiraiya shot her a curious look.

"What of it?" her lips twitched before a wide cheeky grin split her face, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

"It means that now you have actually been listening." Jiraiya harrumphed in annoyance as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"What's that supposed to mean little lady?" he demanded.

"Oh nothing nothing," she said with an air smugness around her as Jiraiya began to grit his teeth.

"If you've got something to say, say it," he prompted said through a forced grin.

"Well… You never really intended to even listen to what the Hokage was saying, did you? If you where paying attention instead of trying to get out of here as fast as possible then you would have realized something was up, right?" She said, her voice amused. Her light tone didn't take the bite from her words however. Jiraiya scowled as she continued to speak.

"I mean come on. Do you think that Shikaku would go through all this effort," she said as she gesture to the tall stack of papers on the desk that was her cover, "if that wasn't the case?" She shot him a smug look. Jiraiya couldn't help but feel a bit mortified as his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"You don't know me or what I've dealt with in the past, so lay off! I've been there, done that, and I'm not interested in having a repeat of the past."

"Since when have you been ever asked to do this before?" Shikaku asked as he opened bloodshot eyes to send Jiraiya an incredulous look.

"You would be panicking if your old sensei decided to suddenly saddle you with a random woman too, you lazy Nara," groused the white haired man as Shikaku sent him an annoyed look. The office was silent for a moment, the atmosphere growing stifling as each person waited to see what would happen next.

Samira yawned. The tension broke as she lazily settled back in her chair, prompting Jiraiya to shot her a scathing glare. A slender red eyebrow rose in question.

"What?"

"How can you act so calm?!" Jiraiya demanded. "Are you so confident that I will agree to help?" Her sleepy gaze sharpened into annoyance as she shot him a scowl.

"No. But I'm tired, and had a trying day yesterday as well as today. There is no point being nervous about whether you help me or not. In the end, it's your choice and that is something that no amount or worrying is going to change. The Hokage could order you to do it but in the end it is your choice whether or not you will listen to him or choose to help me." She groused.

"Do you understand what he is asking of me?" Jiraiya snapped. How could she be so calm?!

"Yes. He is asking you to tie your future with mine. I understand and accept your reluctance as well as your final decision, whatever it might be." She calmly. Jiraiya's fists clenched.

"Do you know what would happen if you where known as my student? And what would happen if I chose not to take you on?" he snapped. He opened his mouth to say something more but stopped when her gaze met and help his. Those eyes where not that of a civilian girl... they were far too old for that.

"Yes. If you chose not to take me as your student… then I would not be able to become a ninja of Konoha before being kicked out because of the village council and then barred from returning. In essence, I would be cast into the world with little to no way of help. If you choose to take me on as your student… then later on, I will be targeted by glory seekers wishing to vanquish one of the great Sannin's students. I will have no choice but to become a powerhouse ninja to survive, and due to my connection with you and the Hokage it is no doubt that I will become heavily engulfed in the burdens of this village. I will also have to deal with accusation as to whether or not I'm just some whore that managed to charm you into teaching me. Many will underestimate me, challenge me, mock me, thinking that I am just some upstart wanna be trying to ride on other's tail coats without earning the right. I will be shunned by some circles here in the village, accepted by others. There will be eyes on me in the political arena and I am always going to have to keep a careful eye on my back and on my words. And I am going to be frowned upon for being related to, and spending so much time with, the demon brat. Becoming your student in itself would be a great burden, but I would get to stay in the village with Naruto," She said quietly, her gaze thoughtful. She had the eyes of the entire office and Shikaku gave a slight chuckle.

"Inoichi's right. As soon as you get back, I'm going to teach you how to play shogi." He said. Samira merely smiled lazily.

"And if I don't want to learn?" she asked, sounding amused. Shikaku grinned.

"I'm sure I can bribe you with something interesting." He said.

"Ooo, stakes. I like it." She said with a grin.

"Samira-san," the Hokage said quietly. She looked up questioningly as Jiraiya stared at her, his expression unreadable.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?"

" You said 'demon brat.' What do you know of this?" he questioned quietly. Samira's lips pursed and the first true flash of anger burned in her eyes.

"It's what the villagers have called Naruto many times." She grit out, her voice tight with anger.

"Is that all?" the Hokage asked quietly. Her gaze sharpened suddenly as she frowned. The Hokage sitting before her was deceptively calm, but she could see the sharpness of his eyes as he watched her for her response. Whatever she said was very important. Why was it so important? She frowned, her eyes growing sharp. There was something big going on with that kid. They had said that a metamorphosis was very chakra intensive, so how could a kid fuel something like that? In fact, now that she thought of it, Naruto had more chakra than Inoichi and Shikaku, who where both seasoned Ninja warriors from what she had heard. The only one that had that level of chakra… was the Hokage, and even then the amount wasn't very different. But Naruto was just a boy, meaning that when he got older… he was going to have even more chakra! Bloody hell, that was going to be ridiculous. Srom what she had gathered from Naruto, he was just a regular orphan, and yet… the Hokage, head of the village would come and check on him personally at least once a month if not more times. She remembered having to be out of the house when the old man had come over… Why would the leader of the village take such interest in the kid? She sighed as she came up short on the answer. She was going to have to think on this later.

"These are all the papers with the details of her cover, and her history. You will need to read through them. Shikaku made some suggestions in them regarding how you could solidify her cover and procure proof of her history." Said the Hokage as he finished sealing the stack of papers away in a scroll before tossing it to Jiraiya who was still silent and grim, eyes far away in thought. Inoichi took the moment to turn to regard Jiraiya.

"Because of Samira-san's intellect, past education, blood host, and background it has been decided that she will assume a new identity as Uzumaki Kumori, a civilian whose family worked as a part of your network in a medium sized city on the southern sea, not too far from Uzushigakure. Her family will have met their death when being detected as your spies by some passing enemy ninja, and they will have entrusted you with looking after their only daughter, Kumori. Kumori being a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, will have some knowledge of the sealing arts before meeting you, knowledge that you will help her refine since you are a seal master and wish to study the Uzumaki seals. As a civilian she will have had a proper education but with her family's death she will have decided to become a ninja because she couldn't protect them before. You will train her up to high genin low chunin level, in weapons, seals, and basic ninja skills, such as stealth, trapping, trap detection, strategy, and fighting skills in general. For now her specialty will be in-"

"Bloody hell, I never said I would train her," Jiraiya snapped as he cut Inoichi off. Jiraiya ran his fingers through his hair testily as he sighed. "I will establish her background and make it look believable. She will travel with me and I will coach her on her background. However whether or not I train her will be up to me**_. If_**... And I mean **_IF_** she proves herself worthy to me... then I will teach her." he stated firmly. His teacher sighed tiredly, releasing a plume of smoke.

"I suppose that is the most I can ask of you. For now." it was silent before Hiruzen spoke again.

"I will want weekly reports for the first month. Monthly reports afterwards. We will use summons to communicate. I will send enough to cover her expenses as well."

"Fine. She and I have to leave right now. I have a contact I'm meeting later tonight since this trip wasn't exactly planned," he muttered gruffly as Hiruzen nodded.

"Very well. Remember your orders Jiraiya, and take good care of her. If anything 'happens' to her," said the Hokage as he made quotation marks in the air, "Then there will be consequences." Jiraiya's irritation skyrocketed.

"Fine." he growled before sending the woman an annoyed look. "Let's go, Red."

"Wait I'm leaving now?!" she said looking nervous. _But what about Naruto?_

"Yes now," growled Jiraiya stiffly. Kumori couldn't help but gnaw her lower lip nervously as she fretted over the blond mentally.

"I-I uh, need to swing by the apartment for a few things," she said quietly. Shikaku cracked open an eye to look at her at her hesitant tone and Inoichi's lips tightened in understanding. It was more likely than not that she was worry over the boy.

"Don't worry about Naruto. I will make arrangements for him," the Hokage said quietly making the young woman's head snap up as she regarded the old man with wide eyes. Her eyes softened at the understanding she could see in them.

"Any suggestions?" asked the older man lightly. Her face softened as she sighed tiredly.

"Have someone else do his shopping for him," she said before taking a deep breath to calm herself, her expression grim. "He puts on a brave face, but a quick snoop through the kitchen should be enough to see if he's alright. Make sure he eats well, and not just ramen. He seems to like new and flavorful dishes, and if he's being stubborn, redirect his attention and before he knows it his plate will be empty." she said making the old man chuckle though there was sadness in his eyes.

"Brave kid, isn't he?" he asked. Kumori just grinned wider, a hint of pride gleaming in them.

"Brave and kind. And someday he'll be a strong Hokage, just like his Jiji," she said with a wink, earning another chuckle from the old man.

"I'll take good care of him Kumori-san. Take care of yourself, until we meet again," he said as she flashed him a wide grin that made her look eerily like Kushina for a split moment.

"Don't worry about me Hokage-sama! I'm just going to be traveling with a grumpy pervert for who knows how long, off to face untold danger and endless struggle," she teased before turning to Jiraiya who had been watching the exchange with an unreadable face, his thoughts hidden.

"Ready to go?" she asked, her tone serious. He sighed before making some hand seals.

"Might as well be. Now first, to smuggle you through the village," he said as he slammed his palm into the floor, causing a cloud of smoke to poof into existence. As it cleared a large toad was revealed. Kumori's eyes widened in shock before the toad turned towards her and opened its mouth, its long tongue darting out to wrap around her. Her scream was cut off as she was yanked into the creature's mouth before the two disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving a stunned office in silence.

"Well, see you later, sensei," Jiraiya said cheerily as he leaped out the window and off into the village heading for the gates.

"Jiraiya!" the white haired spy master merely smirked as he listened to his old teacher yell at him from the Hokage tower. Just because he had to do as he was ordered didn't mean he had to make things easy for this Uzumaki Kumori _or_ for his sensei. He wasn't going to teach her a damn thing about being a ninja unless she managed to prove herself to him. But first, he needed to to the kid's apartment to grab her things and then start heading back. He had an appointment to keep with a certain spy.

* * *

**AN: Aaaand CUT! Alright people! That's a wrap! Good job everyone! **

**Kumori (Samira)- oh my gosh, WHY?! *sobs***

**Toad- there there little one *pats the side of his stomach***

**Kumori- let me out of here, slime ball! (bickering starts)**

**Sigh. Well, Thank you for reading the last part of chapter seven. Please leave reviews with your thoughts and feedback on what you like don't like, etc. Until next time on Unlikely Love!**


	10. Chapter 8

**AN: Well, this came out rather quickly. I may have to go over it again later and make it a bit shorter. Anyways, I would like to thank everyone for the amazing reviews I received for the last chapter! They where awesome, and again, I would like to thank you for reading. This has not been reviewed by my beta yet so please bare with any mistakes that you find.**

**Warnings: Language, mild gore, death,**

**Otogakure no Sato (Hidden sound village)**

Tanyuu yawned as she made her way to her chambers. As one of the Sound Four, she had had a trying day and she was ready to get some rest, after not having gotten any the last two days. That last mission had been difficult but important, and the Sound Four had been able to get the information that they needed for Orochimaru-sama. _Kabuto should be sending a report to us in the next few days as well,_ Tanyuu mused as she pulled her filthy shirt over her head before tossing it into the waste bin. It was ruined, so there was no point in keeping it at this point.

As she fished though her clothing chest an alarm began to blare through the base making her head snap up.

"Shit, right when I was about to get some fucking sleep. I'm going to gut whoever caused this mess like a little bitch when I get a hold of them," she growled as she threw her shirt on.

"What's going on?" she snapped as she walked down the underground hall, halting a passing ninja.

"Tanyuu-sama. One of the patients from lab D is on the loose. We think the other two from lab E are on the run as well." said the ninja nervously as Tanyuu's eyes widened. Her mouth went dry as fear began to creep up her spine. Those where the top three of Orochimaru-sama's prized experiments. She had seen them herself and knew if the managed to get free, Orochimaru would have all their heads. He would be furious beyond reason.

"No matter what, do not kill them! Get me the Z team down here, Uzumaki Karin and the rest of the Sound Four! Do not let them escape, that is an order!" she yelled making the ninja flinch.

"Yes, Tanyuu-sama!" he cried before racing off to do her bidding. She grit her teeth as she turned and began to make her way towards the labs. No matter what, those experiments could not get away.

**Mt. Myaboku, realm of the Toad Summons**

Let it be said that being trapped in a giant toad's mouth is terrifying as well as disgusting, and it is very hard to breath. The air in the toad that Samira, now named Kumori, was trapped in, was hot and moist with barely any oxygen considering the fact that the creature was mainly breathing though it's nose. It made sure to occasionally breathe through its mouth, allowing a rare breath of blessed pure air to fill the space so that she would not pass out or suffocate. The tongue of the toad itself was coiled around Kumori's body barely allowing her to move despite her frantic attempts, and all she could do was muster breathy screams and frantic wiggles, which quickly tired her out. The tongue had a crushing amount of muscles and was covered in thousands of small and knobby taste buds. The tongue was also covered in large metal studs, some of which were digging into Kumori's Back and shoulder. She stopped trying to get away, breathless, sweating and frustrated. However, her fears did not abate though she was no longer moving, she had just realized that trying to fight was futile. And that in its self was a bit more disconcerting to realize as the feeling of dread only grew in the pit of her stomach.

"H-hello?" she called nervously after a good ten minutes of silence and she could feel her tension grow as the toad's breathing and the sticky sounds inside her confide continued uninterrupted. The toad hadn't moved around much other than hop a short ways after it first wretched her into its mouth. She could barely hear any sounds from outside the toad's body other than the sound if it's breathing, heart beat and the squelch of wet flesh whenever it moved enough. There was no answer and she could feel her growing tension as anxiety caused her body to react to her increased stress. _How long am I going to be stuck in here?_ She thought as her dread kept climbing. Soon enough she was shaking as much as her confides could allow in stress, a fine tremor running through her as she struggled not to hyperventilate. As she remained bound in place, her body's chakra began to react. _He's going to leave me here forever!_ Kumori thought frantically as her chakra pressure started to grow. She unknowingly began to tap into her new reserves. The new energy began to pool rapidly around, sending warm tingles and jolts through her body as it circulated and she could feel her sensitivity to the chakras around her start to grow along with her rapid shallow breaths.

I-it was too much! Her teeth grit in growing strain as her senses began to go haywire. She could feel it! All around her, she could fell even more than what she had found to be normal the last three days! She could feel and begin distinguishing the different chakras around her as a mass of Chakra became stone and a lazy signature turned out to be another toad. Her jaw dropped as a burning sensation began to replace the feeling of the warm chakra tingles. As she struggled to get her chakra back under control she grit her teeth furiously. Next time she saw Jiraiya she was going to hurt him; grievously too. But first, if she ever got out of this toad alive, she was going to get the hell away from it as fast as humanly possible.

…

Being stuck inside a toad also gave one a lot of time to think, And Kumori found herself thinking about all sorts of things, but mostly about the man that had put her in this predicament, and what she knew of him, which was next to nothing. Kumori knew he was legendary for a ninja, the Hokage's student, was once a candidate for the Hokage, but wasn't chosen for some reason, and a huge pervert. From what she could gleam about his character at the office, he didn't like attachment too much since he seemed to be a roamer and disliked the idea of her tagging along with him for any set amount of time. That suggested that he liked to keep his distance from people or that he didn't appreciate commitments that where burdens. _I bet he doesn't have any kids_, Kumori thought with a frown. He had also reacted harshly to the Hokage's attempt at guilt tripping, as if offended. Why would Jiraiya be offended about Hiruzen mentioning Naruto's attachment to her? Unless… he was somehow linked to Naruto? Well, if the Hokage paid such close attention to Naruto, then maybe Jiraiya had met the boy in passing enough to grow fond of him. No, that couldn't be it. Naruto had never mentioned someone caring about him or being friendly with him besides, Iruka, the Hokage and the Ichiraku Ramen chef, Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame, as well as the fact that Jiraiya seemed to have some information on Naruto, since he had known the kid by name. Why was he worried about Naruto? Kumori found herself pondering with a frown. After the villager's treatment, she couldn't help but find it odd that this man who was always out of the village cared about a kid who didn't even know about him. If Jiraiya didn't look so different from Naruto, then Kumori would have suspected that the man was his father. That wasn't possible though since Kumori apparently looked a lot like Naruto's mother. The boy had to take after someone, and if it wasn't his mother, then it had to be his father, which was obviously not Jiraiya. _Perhaps Jiraiya knew his family or something,_ Kumori thought with a frown feeling a bit uneasy with the idea. That would mean that this Jiraiya guy had known of Naruto… and chosen not to do anything for the orphan boy who was all alone growing up. Kumori shook her head. She didn't have enough information to make an educated guess yet but that still didn't shake the uneasy feeling from her gut about this man. He had stuck her in this toad just to spite her and his teacher, meaning he had a bit of a vindictive streak too, and that there was only so much the Hokage could order this man to do. The man had downright refused the Hokage's orders to train her and look after her until he was satisfied. Was this the level or political authority that this man had? Was this why Shikaku and Inoichi had insisted that this man back her in front of the council? It would make sense but it also brought to light that fact that she couldn't rely on this man. She couldn't rely on him to listen to the Hokage. In fact, the Hokage had even felt the need to threaten Jiraiya not to let something 'happen' to her. Did that mean that at any moment… this man could turn on her? She felt her stomach drop as she shrank into herself as much as the bumpy tongue wrapped around her would allow.

He was a ninja after all. Ninja. She knew what those where. Cut throats. Liars. Spies. Body guard for hire. Trained killers. Actors of the highest degree and masters in the arts of seduction, sabotage and espionage.

And she had been put in the care of one of the best ninja out there, one that didn't want her around, with enough power to push back against the Hokage without immediate reprimand, and the ability to make sure that she either disappeared smoothly or could screw any chance she had.

Panic began to creep up on Kumori again and she found herself having to forcibly calm herself again as the burning started up again when her chakra got too hectic. The toad shifted uncomfortably, the insides squelching wetly as the tongue tightened around her briefly. Kumori grit her teeth, trying not to start crying in panic and frustration. He had stuck her in this toad to spite her and his leader. He had said something about smuggling her out of the village before the toad had suddenly appeared in a summons. That didn't mean that this was the only or best way to smuggle her out, and that didn't mean that he had to leave her in the creature for this long. She could tell that it had already been at least a couple of hours by now and there had been no sign that this Jiraiya would be releasing her from this creature anytime soon. The thought of spending another couple of hours in the toad had her gritting her teeth in pain again as her chakra surged wildly. She was going to have to figure out how to control this energy. This was getting too painful.

**4 hours later**

Kumori twitched as her eyes slid open slowly. She blinked groggily at the dark red that made the toad's stomach as the slightest bit of light filtered through, veins dark lines. It appeared she had dozed off between the stress and the low amount of air she had been getting. She scowled groggily before tentatively reaching for her chakra as she had been doing for the last several hours off and on.

Of course she still found herself ponder what she should do about this situation and the man that had left her in this accursed toad, as well as her options in case she was able to get out. Admittedly, the more time that passed without her being released from the toad, the worse her situation began to look as well as her dwindling hope that this Jiraiya person would help her. He had left her here. Plain and simple. She sighed still reaching for her chakra before focusing. It had been easier at first for her to summon, since her chakra seemed to react to stress swiftly. When she had first calmed, she had barely been able to do anything with it. It took a lot of concentration to get it to respond at all, but with some practice she found she could move it sluggishly. She frowned moodily. When was that man going to let her out? Sighing she went back to what she was doing, trying to figure out how to move and control this odd new power inside of her. It's not like she could do anything else, while trapped inside a toad.

_**An hour later**_ Kumori found herself pulling on the chakra much easier. The trick it seemed was to focus on summoning the energy towards any particular body part. It seemed to respond to emotion and will-power the best, meaning she would have to be careful when she was upset not to let her chakra slip from her control. Now that she could focus it much better she was starting to take the time to focus on her ability to feel the chakras around her while trapped in the toad. She found her range expanding. She was starting to feel a bit sore though for some reason. With all the time and practice her awareness and sensing as well as her control began to improve. When she had calmed and the adrenaline faded, so had her ability to sense things with such clarity. However, with focus indistinguishable masses of energy had became clear once more, like when she had been upset though not to that level just yet. No, she was still working on it. However, something had caught her interest when she had realized something as she had been practicing her sensing. She had a very large amount of chakra at her disposal it seemed, not to mention that her chakra seemed unusually dense compared to the chakra around her. She frowned as she summoned her chakra to her arms once more before grunting in frustration. She was trying to use it to make her arms stronger like she had heard mention of when helping Naruto with his home work but she couldn't seem to manage. It had only been a passing mention of it, there had been no instruction, but she knew that it could be done, which was what mattered. After a good twenty minutes of trying she gave up in frustration to pay attention to what was going on in her surrounds once more as she pushed her sensing abilities outward. The most forceful chakra she could sense was the toad, since it surrounded her. Listening to its steady heart beat, she frowned as her eyes slid shut, paying particular attention to the toad. At first, it was just a mass of energy with barely discernible patterns moving through it, but as she focused, the patterns slowly became clearer. One thing was certain; the chakra in the toad seemed to be flowing in constant motion consistently though the body. She frowned as she realized the same was happening to the chakra in her own body. She continued to 'watch' the chakra flow through the toad for a while longer, the flow becoming more understandable, though not by much. Slowly, her eyebrows rose as an idea began to form. If she could speed up the flow of chakra, instead of just pooling it in a limb, then maybe she could make her limbs stronger! Maybe it was a combination of the two! More chakra in a limb moving faster… it could work! Smiling grimly at the idea, she began to speed up the chakra flow through her entire body as she pulled more chakra into her limbs and torso, the sensation making her slightly light headed at first. Then she pushed… and the toad's tongue actually _**moved**_ slightly. She grinned wildly a savage glint lighting her eyes in the dark as she began to fight the tongue in renewed earnest, her limbs and torso moving wildly as she used her new strength.

**South of Konoha**

Jiraiya sighed tiredly as the village came into sight. It was a small village but it was the one he needed to meet his contact at. Because of the delay in the Hidden leaf, and having to go to the kid's apartment to get the woman's stuff he hadn't been able to leave as soon as he would have liked, making him slightly late for his meeting. Thankful the contact was still there, he noted as he made his way to the old tree that was at the village's tree line. The operative melted out of the shadows.

"Jiraiya-sama," the woman greeted demurely with a bow as Jiraiya sent her a nod of greeting.

"I take it that you've got something for me, Hana-san?" he asked. The tavern keeper nodded, her loose hair brushing her collar bone lightly.

"Yes. It's in here, Jiraiya-sama," she said as she presented him the scroll of information. He opened it after checking for traps. His eyes widened in surprise. It looked like there had been some activity of the Doko Ryu clan spotted in the south. He frowned before he rolled the scroll up again. Fishing through his pack he removed a scroll before unsealing a small bag that jingled with coin.

"For your troubles, Hana-san," he said as he gave her the money. She bowed gracefully before turning to make her way back towards the village.

"I will be in touch, Jiraiya-sama," she called over her shoulder before disappearing from sight. Jiraiya sighed as he rubbed his face wearily. It looked like he was going to have to be visiting the coast of Hi no Kuni, for two reasons now instead of one. He would be able to work on Kumori's cover as well as trace some leads in his spy network. That's was good, but it would make traveling more difficult. That woman could mess everything up for him if she interfered too much. He sighed as he began to perform hand seals. He was going to have to find a way to keep her busy then.

Poof!

Jiraiya frowned as the sound of muffled grunts and snarls filled the air from inside the smoke cloud. What the hell was that? A bit alarmed, he moved into the smoke as he waved an arm to try and clear it faster. As the smoke cleared slightly he paused, confusion making him tilt his head as he frowned. That was the toad, but why were its cheeks bulging, and where was that sound coming from?

There was a particularly loud snarl and the toad's mouth was forced opened. Kumori was gasping for air as she held the creature's jaws open, her arms visibly shaking from the strain. She was covered in a sheen of sweat and toad saliva, her short blood red hair a few inches longer and mussed, the strands sticking up in all directions. He froze as her now _**red**_ eyes locked on him and he found himself taking an involuntary step back as she growled. Her lips pulled back to show abnormally white and sharp teeth, her canine teeth slightly longer than what was average.

"You!" she hissed angrily teeth gleaming dangerously, "You son of a-" and the toad spat her out before disappearing in a poof of smoke. She landed hard but didn't get up as she continued to lay there panting as she struggled to catch her breath. Jiraiya continued to remain frozen in place as he tried to figure out what the hell had happened. How had she done that?! Jiraiya couldn't remember a time when someone had overpowered his prisoner toad. That tongue was pure muscle and tightly wrapped around the body, making it hard to move any limbs. There was no way this civilian woman could have done that. Even for a ninja it would have been difficult. And he could have sworn that when she had glared at him, her eyes had been red.

Jiraiya continued to stare at the panting woman, trying to figure her out. He edged forward carefully before nudging her with his foot.

"Hey." He called cautiously. She turned her head slightly, only enough to glare at him with a bluish-purple eye, before her eyes rolled up in her head and she went motionless. Jiraiya's eyes went wide with alarm.

She was breathing, right?!

_RIGHT?!_

He dove to her side to check her pulse.

She was still breathing but it was shallow, and her heart was beating strong at a regular tempo. He placed his hands on her after performing a diagnostic jutsu. It was the most basic form of Iryo ninjutsu (medical jutsu) but something useful he had learned from Tsunade. He could feel his chakra seeping into her as well as his awareness of her increasing as he let his chakra travel into her. He frowned. Her chakra was unusually dense and it was a bit difficult for him to ease his chakra into her to check but when he finally was able to check her reserves, he found his eyes snapping open in surprise. Her chakra reserves where already very large for a woman's and would be getting bigger with time as her chakra coils grew before settling. After all, when people from the Far Shore, as some shinobi called the it, came through the Lake, their chakra coils would shape themselves after a transformation before continuing to grow, giving them very large reserves. This growth was usually due to their bodies over production of chakra, some researchers suggested. Jiraiya frowned as he scanned her. Her chakra reserves were missing a little but her body was strained everywhere. All her muscles where showing strain from having too much chakra going through them at one time. So this was how she did it? Chakra enhanced strength? It would make sense that she passed out then. Ninja got used to moving chakra all through the body at a young age when their bodies were still growing. She however had never had chakra so her body was going to have to get used to it first, a bit at a time or she would end up passing out from being unable to handle the strain. Sighing he gathered the passed out young woman in his arms and began to head toward the village. He knew where a good onsen was at the edge of the town. That would probably be the best place for them to stay.

Kumori groaned as her eyes fluttered open to see a dimly lit ceiling above her. She blinked slowly not trying to move. There was a slight soreness lingering in her body but nothing like the burning that had been running through her when she had finally gotten that toad's mouth open. She let her eyes rove the room and she began to recognize it as a traditional Japanese inn. Her bed was even a floor futon, which was oddly very comfortable. _An Onsen then,_ she realized as her eyes drifted to examine the sliding panels for the windows. From the little light she could see it was early morning. _Might as well get up,_ Kumori thought as she sat up, the tickle of her hair brushing her cheek. She blinked in surprise as she reached up to find that her locks where now several inches. If it kept growing so fast, it would be long in no time, she realized with a frown. A snore made her flinch. She turned to find the man with white hair, Jiraiya as they had called him, asleep in his futon a few feet from her. She frowned at him, her anger at being put in a toad coursing through her. The desire for revenge was swimming through her, warring with self preservation and wariness. She supposedly needed this man as much as she didn't want to admit it. That didn't ease her anger or fear though_. I need to think,_ she thought as she placed her face in her hands, already feeling stressed even though the day hadn't even started. Needing to go get some air, she decided to go visit the bathing area of the onsen. There wouldn't be anyone out this early anyways. It would be a bit before the sun broke the dawn of the day.

_Hot springs are heavenly_, Kumori thought happily as she soaked in the hot water. The hot natural spring water was soothing away any remaining aches she had. With a happy sigh her eyes drifting to the lightening sky. _The predawn is beautiful,_ she noted with a small smile as she took in the light pastels that where starting to shine on the horizon. The sky was slowly changing colors as more light filled the sky. As she watched the dawn slowly come she found her gaze drift to the silhouettes of the trees and she found her smile fade. Those where not the trees of her home land. It was silly how small the reminder was, but it was still like a slap in the face as she was once more reminded how much everything had changed. _Even the damn trees are different here._ Her mood dropped quickly, and the reality of her situation was back with a resounding slap to the face.

Grim faced, Kumori sighed again. She was thinking about just getting the hell out of this place. Who was she kidding? Ninjas? And her become one? As much as she wanted to stay with Naruto and have a place to call home, and a village to be part of… things overall weren't looking good. Staying in a ninja village and not having the skills to defend one's self against the people living there was stupid, and this Jiraiya wasn't going to teach her, she was sure of it. She had seen only a little of the man and what he was like and was already convinced that he was only going to make her miserable on this little trip. He said that if she proved herself to him, he would teach her. As far as she was concerned, he was just going to play her like a fool. Her teeth grit in anger as she recalled being played like a fool as a kid, being made to go do tasks and errands only for it to have turned out to be lie used to get her to do things for free. Being manipulated was not a new thing to Kumori and she could usually spot an attempt a mile away.

_I need to leave, _she realized with a sinking sense of doom. What where her options though? She needed money to travel and she sure as hell wasn't stupid enough to try and steal from this man. He would probably hunt her down out of spite, like he had stuck her in that toad._ By playing the erhu,_ Kumori realized with wide eyes. That was how. It would be just enough for her to buy food with. She would also have to avoid bandits though, and then there was the chance of bad weather making her find shelter. _I will have to watch every penny,_ she thought with a frown. Now the next question; where to go? _Somewhere without ninja,_ Kumori immediately thought with a grimace. If she couldn't keep up with these people, and at least have a chance of defending herself, she was going to stay the hell away from them, for safety sake. _Maybe the islands to the south. A small island with a little population that's in the middle of nowhere,_ she thought with a hum warming up to the idea. She would have to find one that was elevated enough to be safe from tsunami's and without volcano's but still, an island would probably be best. There she would stay unless she got the urge to venture forth into the messed up world that lay beyond that great stretch of water.

Mind made up, she decided to get out and head back to her room. As she reached her room she slowed before poking her head in cautiously. Thankfully the man was still asleep so she easily made her way in before shutting the door behind her. She looked around the room with a frown as she realized that she didn't know where he had put her things. Cold dread washed over her. _Fuck fuck fuck_, she chanted in her head as she fought to keep her breathing calm and her chakra down. It was harder than it should have been. She needed her things to leave, and as she looked around she realized that they were nowhere to be seen. After a moment, a sinking feeling began to start in her gut.

What if he didn't even bring her things?

She sank to the ground, before his pack as tears beginning to pool in her eyes. Her stuff wasn't here. How the hell was she going to make money while on the move now? She couldn't just get a job in this town unless Jiraiya decided to let her run off and she wasn't going to be asking his permission. Asking him would give him the opportunity to stop her and to plan ahead against further escape attempts. She couldn't take his pack, it was too heavy and he would come looking for it. It boiled down to two things. Either she stay and chance it or leave and chance it. She wasn't fucking stupid. She knew she had no choice but to stay.

_**Flashback**_

_**I have no choice but to stay. I'm too young to be able to leave at this age, legally. I have to complete high school or I will have no future. I can't just leave and go wherever. How would I be able to get a job and look after myself if I have to focus on class too? My car isn't even reliable and is always breaking down. How will I eat?**_

_**Flashback ends**_

Kumori jolted at the sudden flash back. That's right. This was just like when she was a teenager, living in that hellacious living situation with her parents when the fighting had started to escalate over the past two years. If she had had a reliable car then she would have considered living in it at that point. In fact she had fantasized about doing just that. But this time there was not school to hold her back, and any hope she might have had about a future in Konoha was already dead. She wasn't that much of an optimist to naively believe that she could just get Jiraiya to train her.

After a moment a surge of burning rage hit her, rage so hard that it stole her breath and any trace of sanity she had. Fuck this. She had already gone through this ONCE. She wasn't going to go through it again. She would rather starve to death and die than deal with this helplessness again and she didn't care what she had to do. She was leaving and that was final. With a quiet snarl she all but ripped Jiraiya's bag open. As far as she was concerned he could spare an item or two. Finding what she needed she rolled up one of the Inn's blankets and tied it into a roll with some rope. She pocketed a few kunai she had found in Jiraiya's bag and strapped on a large water canteen.

Standing, she moved purposefully onward with nothing more than those items and the cloths on her back.

She opened the door.

And left.

Jiraiya lay stiffly in his bed, his back facing the door as it slid open once more before sliding shut. He let his breath out slowly as his eyes snapped open, knowing that Kumori had just left. It had been hard for him to pretend to sleep when she had started suffocating the area with chakra pressure, her rage almost a bitter taste in the back of his mouth. He cautiously got out of bed and began getting dressed. He was going to have to move fast if he wanted to catch up with her.

…

Kumori found herself glancing towards the sun as she moved through the heavily wooded land. It was already mid day and she had been moving steadily south through the land of fire. It had been difficult with her having to weave around trees and keep an eye on the direction she was traveling. She sighed, hunger and thirst angrily making their presence known. She grimaced as her stomach growled again, like it had for the past mile. She was starving. She took a small sip of her water knowing that she would have to drink sparingly. _I wish I had gotten something to eat at the Inn,_ she thought with a grimace as she glanced around, trying to spot anything edible. Leaves and brush met her view and she found herself frowning. She needed to do something about the food problem now or she was going to eventually weaken and be killed off by something or die. As she glanced around she tried to see if she could spot anything remotely familiar or edible. After a minute she hissed angrily, racking her fingers through her hair in frustration. She couldn't just eat anything. There was no telling what these plant where. Hell, for all she knew they could be poisonous…

She froze, her eyes wide as realization hit her. With new eyes she scanned the trees around her, awe turning into excitement. There was nothing to fear! This forest was her oyster as far as she was concerned! Anything that was poisonous would just give her a stomach ache or make her nauseous at most. She could live with that. And with that she ripped off the leaf of the tree next to her and started eating, making a face at the flavor. Definitely gross but it was better than starving to death. She made her way through the brush like that, eating whatever she came across. She grimaced at the bitter tasting leaves and soon found a type she liked more and began to hunt for those, making sure not to get too far off course as she forged and traveled. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand an hour later after eating a path through the forest, a mixture of berries, leaves and a mushroom. She was finally full, but she was going to have to find water of some kind to refill her stolen container. Her eyes narrowed as she watched a squirrel dart through the trees above. She was also going to have to figure out a way to hunt.

Kumori frowned at the dimming woods around her. She had spent the day traveling at a reasonable pace and her muscles where aching again from the chakra use that she had used. She was going to have to find reasonable shelter for the night. Looking at the surrounding trees she frowned. Just trees, trees, and more trees, the rustle of the leaves filling the air with the rolling winds that passed. No caves. Dead trees where were wild animals liked to burrow and live. She had avoided those especially in her world because poisonous snakes where know to live in those in the South. _I might be immune to poisonous snakes here but I'd rather not test my chances after having ingested so many unknown plants today_, Kumori thought with a frown before looking up. She could take shelter in a tree but that would leave her exposed to the brisk night air. Sure she had a blanket but she could fall out of the tree. She frowned as she looked at the rope holding the blanket together. Perhaps not, she thought as she took a running jump, enhanced with chakra. She landed hard against the trunk knocking the breath out or her before she scrambled shakily up the tree till she found a comfortable fork in the wood that was small enough to she could secure herself on but large enough for her to sleep. Her back propped up against the truck, blanket around her and tied to ensure she wouldn't fall she drifted off into a dreamless sleep as exhaustion claimed her.

If she had been awake, she might have picked up on the chakra signature that made its way into her range before retreating once more once it was satisfied that it had found her.

When morning came Kumori woke to find herself stiff with lack of movement but otherwise rather warm, her body feeling better after the full night of rest. Undoing the rope that had bound her she remover her blanket, blinking blearily as she looked around. The morning light streaming through the awakening forest met her gaze and she cracked a yawn before her stomach growled, making her grimace. There hadn't been any adverse effects from her previous meal of random leaves, so she might as well get started. It took a while for her to get full from leaves yesterday and she had had to eat a lot of them too. Taking a sip from her canteen, Kumori then went to relieve herself before determining the direction the sun was. Direction now confirmed, she began to set out once more, eating as she went. It was around mid day when she decided to take a small break, taking a sip from her canteen as she sat on a fallen tree. It was a magnificent thing, easily seven men around and ancient. Kumori frowned as she looked around, eyeing the trees. She remembered how Ibiki had leapt through the trees. It had been terrifying for her, but they had moved swiftly. Frowning she crouched taking carefully aim before leaping. She landed a couple of feet away from her intended target and the impact had her legs aching. With a grimace she tried again, and again, using her observations to figure out how to use chakra to leap.

She spent about an hour working on her leaping before she deemed it satisfactory. Then she tried leaping from tree to tree. It was difficult and she found herself falling more than a few times before she was able to land shakily on a branch. The trick it seemed was to pick the right branch. Too big, get thrown off balance. Too small, not enough landing space. The going was slow at first but soon Kumori had fallen into a shaky rhythm, her pace picking up as she began to travel by tree hopping, making sure not to push too much chakra into her legs. She would pause every now and then to sample the foliage around her as she traveled or to check to sun to confirm the direction she was heading.

…

It was evening when the forest began to thin out before a stretch of plains met her gaze, trees dotted here and there over the high rolling grass. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the sparse forest that she had just come from. This wouldn't give her much cover for the night. She couldn't even really spot a tree that would offer her a good place to sleep. All the ones at the trees edge where too scrawny. She frowned as she looked around. The only trees she could spot that where thick enough to house her comfortably where the lone trees on the plain. She turned to look behind her. She would have to travel a ways back into the forest to find a decent sized tree to sleep in and by then it would be dark, which would make things even more difficult and she wouldn't be able to speed things up with tree hoping. Sleeping on the ground wasn't an option since she didn't have anything to make a fire to keep the animals away with. But the plain was so exposed compared to the forest. She grit her teeth in annoyance not noticing the presence that was hovering on the edge of her sensing range. With pursed lips she made her way swiftly through the tall grass with chakra enhanced speed. She passed the first two trees before leaping into the third. She gave it a once over before nodding and starting to undo her roll, eyes darting around from her new position. She could see further along the plain now from her higher vantage point and could see the beginning of another forest in the distance to the south where she was heading. Towards the west the plain continued, and towards the north where she had come from she could see the forest she had just left. She grimaced. She was going to have to cover a large distance tomorrow before she got back to another forest, which meant she was going to have to go a day without food. She grimaced. She was already a little hungry. Travel really took a lot out of the body and plants could only provide so much. What she needed was meat. She grimaced as she massaged her legs. They hurt from all the extra chakra that had been pushed through them today and she was exhausted. She would wonder about the food problem later. It was time to get some sleep.

It was the middle of the night when Kumori jerked awake suddenly, wondering what it was that had woken her. She blinked groggily. _I could have sworn that I felt a chakra flare up,_ she thought as she squinted in the dark. After going so long without people around, the flare had been enough to wake her up. A soft growl filled the air and Kumori froze eyes and ears immediately straining for whatever had made the sound. Her eyes soon spotted the source and she found herself staring down at a small pack of wild dog like creatures, only their snouts where more defined and their legs sleeker, their bodies more compact and powerful.

Wolves.

Another one growled and sniffed the air. There was a yip before another whined, teeth pulling back to gleam in the slight light the waning moon cast before the smoothly drifting clouds covered it, leaving them in oppressive darkness. Kumori's eyes remained wide, ears strained but what was straining the most was her ability to sense chakra. Right now, these creatures could see in the dark while she was essentially blind. They where little more than blobs, but she at least knew where those masses of energies where. Undoing the rope that secured her, Kumori stood carefully, senses trained. They wouldn't just go away. She knew enough about wolves to know that they would keep her treed for a good long while before moving on, and there was no way this tree would have enough leaves on her to feed her for that long. It took a lot of leave to get her remotely full. She frowned down at the wolves as her mind churned. Decision made, she jumped.

The wolves yowled in surprise and glee when they spotted their prey coming to them and they leapt into action, racing towards where she had fallen. A kunai flashed before it hit one in the jugular as the rest of the wolves raced forward. Ready, Kumori's fist cocked back before she punched. There was a sickening crunch as the first wolf was sent flying into one of its companions, it's still form unmoving since its skull had caved in from a chakra enhanced punch. A wolf snarled at dove at her throat next but a kunai was jammed in its chest, splattering blood all over the young woman before the creature hit the ground with panicked whimpers before it fell still. The moon came out slightly from behind the clouds. Not able to react in time, one wolf managed to latch onto Kumori's leg and yanked her to the ground as it threw her off balance and another wolf pounced, trying to rip out her throat as the last wolf struggled to get out from under its companion for a second before getting free. Seeing the wolf lunge for her throat clearly, Kumori caught its jaws before using her chakra enhanced strength to rip the wolf's jaws apart. It gave a horrible gurgled scream as it got free before racing off into the plain, crazed by pain and panic before toppling over no longer able to keep moving. The wolf that had gotten free just seconds before managed to bite into Kumori's upper arm. She gave a scream of pain as instinct took over. The wolf's jaw went slack as a kunai was slammed into its brain before the body began to twitch.

Sitting up, all the other wolves now dead, except the last one that was trying to rip her leg off, Kumori growled, eyes gleaming red in the dim lighting. The final wolf froze and the two were locked in a staring match. Slowly Kumori's lips began to pull back, revealing canines that where longer than they should have been for a human, another growl rumbling in her throat. The wolf let go of her leg hesitantly, slightly cowed as it took a hesitant step back, Kumori's now red eyes following its every move. Suddenly it turned to flee but it barely had a chance as something heavy landed on its back. It gave a keening yelp before there was a sickening crunch. Both figures remained still in the shadow of the tree before Kumori finally stood, panting from pain and fatigue. Her palms where bleeding where the wolves teeth had cut through them and her knuckled where bloody from punching the other wolf in the head. She grit her teeth, knowing that there was probably some bone fragments in her hand from the wolf's skull. She checked her arm to inspect the cuts and her leg. These where all cosmetic. As long as they didn't get infected, she would live.

_ I'm alive,_ Kumori though exuberantly after a moment with a wild grin. She had thought when she had first got here to this new world that she was royally screwed. Now, she could eat just about anything and she had chakra. With chakra she had been able to fight off a small pack of wolves! Wolves! She could survive, no matter what and she had every intention of doing just that. Drunk on excitement she threw her head back and roared her victory for the plain to hear, the sound shattering the still night. Triumphant and feeling a lot better, Kumori began to drag the carcasses away from the tree and gut them, removing the organs before she began to remove the skins and fangs, leaving the meat of the beasts. She frowned at it as her food problem came to mind. That's right… she didn't have any plants to each out here with just the grass and the few lonely trees. She really wanted meat, but she didn't have a way of cooking it. After several minutes of staring at it, she finally reached a shaky hand out before taking a small piece, and hesitantly raising it to her lips. She bit into it and grimaced at the flavor and texture.

"Oh gross!" she cried. It was disgusting flavorless and slimy, but she was hungry, and she didn't know how long until she ran into a town and meat didn't keep. It was either this way or go hungry. With a grimace she forced herself not to throw up as she continued to eat.

…

Kumori woke slowly eyes drifting open. Swaying grass in the mid morning light met her gaze and she found herself just watching it from her vantage point in her tree. Slowly she sat up, feeling a bit queasy but aright none the less from eating her fill of raw meat from last night. Her shoulder and leg hurt but when she removed her makeshift bandages she found to her surprise that the wounds where already healed partially, pink puckered scars and scabs dotting her skin. Still, she felt a bit feverish. She frowned at the wolf carcasses that she had dumped on the hill that was a ways away from her tree. As she had suspected, there was a group of vultures picking at the remains and all sorts of scavenger's ravaging the carcasses. There was a reason she hadn't left the meat near her. She knew that it would only draw other manners of beast.

_S_he watched the animals jockey for a spot to eat. It was definitely drawing animal life from all over that wanted an easy meal. Kumori burped before making a face and taking a swing of water. Raw meat was almost as disgusting eaten as it was burped. Grimacing Kumori began to eat some leaves from the tree she was in, in hopes of getting rid of some of the nasty taste in the back of her mouth. Rolling up her blanket she was ready to head out again, this time heading towards the carcasses.

The animals reacted skittishly when she drew closer but didn't leave completely, not wanting to lose their meal. Kumori had already spotted what she wanted though and soon found herself following an animal trail that had been cut through the grass by multiple animals all going the same way. _Animals always know where water is, and if you want to follow animals, you need to draw them out and the best thing to do that with is with bait, _Kumori thought as she followed a barely discernible trail through the high grass. It was a good thing she had listened to her grandfather when he had taken her out hunting a couple of times. True she hadn't killed anything on these hunts, but she had learned a few basic things, like how to find game and some basic tracking.

She moved carefully and after an hour the trickle of water filled her ears. Moving quicker, Kumori found herself at a medium sized creek. A smile of pleasure crossed her lips and she moved forward quickly before stopping at the water's edge. Kumori decided to clean up a bit, cleaning her face and body and washing her cloths leaving her in her under wear. Not that she minded. There was no one around anyways. The only thing she would need to watch out for was snakes. While waiting for her cloths to dry a little, Kumori managed to catch a few fish. _A pity about the fire,_ she thought with a frown. She should have thought to get some matches or something from Jiraiya's pack when she had gone poking through it. Annoyed she dressed again and set out, this time following the stream. It would lead towards either a road or a bigger stream. After all, water was life and she might find some game worth hunting if she stayed with the stream. Or a predator to run from, she realized with a grimace. Hopefully she wouldn't run into any more wolves. And hopefully there were no bears in this area either.

…

Jiraiya had thought a lot of things when he first saw the flash of red in her eyes or when he felt her potent rage as it oozed into her chakra cloaking the air in the stuff. He had thought a lot of things when she had left, setting out without even a word to him, while taking a few of his things. All in all, he couldn't help but feel confused and curious as well as interested as he followed after her through the course of four days. The first day had been a bit boring; she moved so slow. Her eating any plant she came across had scared him at first until he realized that it wouldn't harm her. The second day had been a bit more interesting as she began to experiment with tree jumping until she could travel that way. That night, he had intentionally flared his chakra when he had spotted the wolves near the base of her tree. These had been some cases in the past where wolves were able to use enough chakra to jump higher than they should have been able but that hadn't been the main reason. He wanted to see how she would react to finding herself cornered. Jiraiya's eyes had gone wide in shock when she had leapt into the fray without much preamble. He watched with a dry mouth as she one by one killed them off until there was only one left. When she growled and the wolf actually back off. It turned to flee and there was a flash of red along with a sickening crunch. Silence. Jiraiya nearly jumped out of his skin when she suddenly howled at the plains, his skin crawling with Goosebumps. _Ok, definitely creepy,_ he thought before she began to take care of the carcasses. He had been confused at first when she started taking strips of meat of the carcasses before he realized that she was eating him. His stomach immediately soured. Damn. He hadn't been expecting that either.

The next day, she was a bit lazy getting up but soon he found himself in for a treat as she went about cleaning her cloths in the stream. Still she was far too bony and was covered in bruises from all her falls from working on tree jumping. She needed to fatten up a bit. Once more dry she set off, her dead fish in tow and soon she was at a larger stream. She continued till they came across a mill where she traded a wolf pelt for oil, a needle and thread and a tinder and flint. Next thing he knew, fire. She immediately set to cooking the fish and stitching the pelts together before oiling them while the fish meat cooked through. She then pulled out her collection of fangs and began fiddling with them before putting them away again. After eating she moved on, heading for the next town. And that's when the bandits decided to attack.

…

Kumori frowned uneasily as she continued the long stretch of road. The road itself was slightly elevated, leaving small ditches to both sides the high grass framing both sides as it swayed gently in the wind. This kind of road would make a perfect ambush, she noted distastefully, wishing there was another way. But there wasn't and she needed to get to that next town there she would be able to purchase an erhu and begin to actually make money so she didn't have to forage and scavenge for everything. The wind blew again and this time she paused frowning. _That grass isn't swaying right,_ she noted with a frown as the wind continued to blow. One, two three four... her head turned slowly as she took in all the spots where the grass wouldn't sway correctly as adrenaline hit her system. There was over seven spots where the grass wouldn't sway right and her sensing rang expanded with the adrenaline. There where eleven chakras on this road, one of them vaguely familiar. He eyes widened in alarm and she took off at a dead sprint heading towards the town, chakra pumping through her legs. She shot forwards like a bullet and was partially past the ambush party when the bandits jumped out. One tried to get in her path, his blade gleaming but with a vicious flying kick she barreled right through the man and proceeded to run for it. Three of the men began to follow with chakra enhanced speed as the others fell behind. They didn't have shinobi training like the other three men that where in pursuit.

Kumori felt the three chakra signatures following and she turned slightly to look over her shoulder to find that they were following. Despairingly she realized that they were gaining and she quickly got her kunai ready. She shrieked as metal bit into her back but she kept running moving faster as fear bit into her along with pain. She could feel them still gaining. This time she heard the whoosh of metal in the air and she dove to the side in time to keep from being hacked in two. Without waiting she slipped in one man's guard and drove a kunai into his neck. The other two tried to flank her but she leapt into the air throwing the dying man at one of the two men, kicking the other man in the neck with a resounding snap. The other man was on her before she could recover. He slashed before she was jerked back, the blade sailing through the air where her throat had been. Kumori remained frozen as the last man was struck by a wildly spinning ball of chakra, the mane of wild white hair and odd clothing unmistakable as Jiraiya finished off the last man, sending him flying into the tall grass. Kumori stared numbly as Jiraiya turned to grin at her over his shoulder, his eyes glittering warmly.

"Looks like I got here just in ti-"

CRUNCH went Jiraiya's balls as Kumori kicked him before she turned and started running towards the town once more.

"FUCK! Fuck fuck fuck!" he hissed in pain as he struggled against the urge to double over. Wincing he forced himself to run after her though admittedly he couldn't move as fast as he wanted due to the damaged goods.

Kumori was running at a steady pace as she raced through the village only stopping to dive into a shop for cover once she was sure that the white haired menace was far enough away. Her back was throbbing and she could feel the wet stickiness of blood as it slide down her back, the knife having fallen out mere seconds after landing in her skin. She dove past the startled shop owners before going out the back and darting across the small alleyway where there was another door leading to another shop. Thankfully someone was opening it and without permission she darted past them and into the shop before pausing to look around franticly as the kitchen came into view. It looked like she had just entered the back of a restaurant.

"Hey! What do you think you-" she cut the man off as she slammed him against a wall as she struggled to catch her breath, her hand covering his mouth as she glared. She was in a lot of pain, being hunted by that man, and she was not in the mood to deal with this.

"Shut the fuck up. Make a peep and I will castrate you, got it?" she snapped before looking around cautiously. The other workers in the kitchen stared at them in fear as Kumori let go of the man and crept so that she could peek out the front of the shop from the kitchen. Satisfied that she had lost Jiraiya she turned to glare at the man that remained frozen against the wall in fear, having spotted the blood blossoming through the back of her dirty shirt.

"I need to know if there is a weapons shop around here and where the next town is," she demanded as the man swallowed nervously, his eyes taking in her wild appearance.

"A-are you a n-ninja?" he stuttered. Kumori glared harder, red starting to seep into her eyes making the man squeak in terror.

"That's not what I asked. Weapon shop and the next town," she growled.

"You don't have to be so mean to the poor guy," came Jiraiya's voice behind her. A girly scream broke past Kumori's lips as she leaped from one side of the kitchen to the other before scrambling out the front door in terror.

"Hey! Wait!" Jiraiya yelled as he raced to catch up, taking to the roof tops where Kumori had gone. She cursed under her breath. First off, she had no idea why he was here. She hadn't thought that he would follow, all things considered and secondly, how long had he been tailing her?! The panic racing through her system brought another surge of adrenaline and with it a surge of chakra.

"Please just listen to me!" He yelled as he sped up. She could feel him trailing after her as she raced out of the town and into the tree line where the road was. This should lead her to the next town, she thought dazedly as she began to use the chakra to enhance her speed and strength, taking to the treetops. She rocketed through though the forest with wild abandon at first before the burn of chakra in her legs began to intensify. Gritting her teeth she pushed past the pain and kept going, as she forced the chakra flow to become more level and even. Chakra flowing smoother, the pain abated a bit but the dull ache was there as she continued to race ahead. She pushed her sensing range slightly and cursed. He was still following her. Why was he still following her?!

_Well, he has to give up some time_, she thought as she grit her teeth against the pain.

"Kumori!" he yelled behind her. She glared as she pushed her speed a bit faster, choosing to ignore him in favor of focusing on her footing and chakra flow. Jiraiya growled in frustration under his breath when she didn't respond.

_I thought that four days would have been enough for her to calm down,_ he thought with growing frustration. Sure he could easily close the gap between them, but it would only push Kumori to panic further, and make her more violent. He hadn't missed the fear that had flashed in her eyes behind the burning anger when she had first spotted him. No, he was going to let her wear herself out. If she was tired, he would have an easier time dealing with her and she would be more likely to listen to him.

Three hours later, they were still going through the treetops, having past another small village. Kumori had to bite back a groan of agony. Her legs where burning in pain, a steady burning throb but still she made herself go on. She was getting sloppy though, fatigue getting to her. _I'm going to have to take the road,_ she realized when she nearly slipped on another tree limb, skinning her knee in the process. Gritting her teeth she waited till she passed a bend in the road before she leapt from a lower branch towards the ground. This way, Jiraiya wouldn't be able to spot her as easily and she might have more time to recover and settle into her new run. When she landed however her shaky legs buckled under her and she gave a yelp of pain when she hit the ground hard, panting for air. _Shit shit shit,_ she thought as she sensed Jiraiya's chakra closing in quickly. He would be coming around the corner in a few moments. Gritting her teeth she pulled herself into a patch of high grass that was besides the road and covered herself with the wolf pelts she had stitched together. The light browns and earthy blonds served as decent camouflage in the dry brown grass she had crawled into. Kumori could feel Jiraiya's presence arrive and pause before it began to move to and fro, clearly looking for her in that general area. She did her best to keep her breathing down as he moved. She heard him tisk in annoyance.

"I know you're there. I can see you. Come on out," he called. Kumori remained frozen in place too tired to move as her fatigue began to take place of the adrenaline and stress that had kept her going. If he knew where she was, then he could just come and get her. A moment later, he sighed, clearly irritable as Kumori dimly realized that he had been trying to trick her into coming out, which meant that he hadn't spotted her yet.

"Listen, I'm sorry that I put you in that toad like that. I could have done that better, but I promise you that I mean no harm," he called as his eyes darted to and fro, looking for any sign of movement or color that would give her away. He walked up till he was on the edge of some tall grass beside the road and frowned, eyes scanning the trees and brush. _Where the hell was she? _He thought with a frown before finally looking down. Grass, grass, more grass… wait, what was that? His eyes widened in shock when he recognized the pelt of the wolves she had killed. They were barely distinguishable in the tall grass with their natural coloration and if he hadn't been looking, then he wouldn't have even noticed the difference. Taking a few steps into the grass he carefully removed the pelt to find his query laying curled in the grass, clearly exhausted. Kumori glared at him halfheartedly as Jiraiya took in the sweat that covered her and the exhausted tremors that ran through her. He sighed, feeling a bit older inside as he crouched to inspect the quivering creature that lay before him.

"Are you ok?" He asked quietly as he brushed some hair out of her face before sitting to rest beside her. He was only slightly winded from that run but it had clearly taken a lot out of her.

"Do I look ok?"she panted out now that she didn't have to hide her breathing. Jiraiya frowned as he took in her appearance. The kunai that had bit into her back had fallen out since the throw hadn't been very good and the wound was light, but there was still blood coating the back of her shirt. It was clotted by now but she had gotten dirt in it. Her cloths, which consisted of a civilian shirt and Capri pants, where covered in rips and stains and splattered with blood stains, her shoes worn down and covered in mud and dirt. Her knee was bleeding and there where scabs over her palms and knuckles. Her shirt was sticking to her with her sweat, her skin had a pale hue to it, and her hair was plastered to her head in it as well.

"No, not really," he murmured before frowning. "If you aren't ok then why did you run off again? I could have helped you sooner, after dealing with those bandits," he asked quietly. She frowned, eyes far off and distant as she replayed the swift series of events that had brought her to this point.

"Fight or flight instinct I suppose. That and I thought that you would leave after a while," she admitted breathlessly with a halfhearted shrug. Jiraiya regarded her seriously, dark intelligent eyes probing as he gazed at her. She met his gaze for a moment before looking away.

"You just killed two men," he pointed out calmly. Her breathing hitched slightly and she sighed, eyes sliding shut as she grimaced slightly.

"Yes, I did," she muttered calmly before turning her amethyst gaze on him.

"And you killed the third before he could kill me." It was silent for a moment as they regarded each other in silence before Kumori finally relented.

"I don't know why you did that, but thank you." Kumori mumbled as she looked away. Jiraiya relaxed slightly as he gave her arm a comforting pat.

"No problem. I'm supposed to be looking out for you after all," he said as she frowned thoughtfully.

"Are you really?" she asked quietly eyes distrustful. Jiraiya nodded seriously.

"Yes. The Hokage had given his orders." He said as she frowned.

"You listen to orders? You?" she asked her tire voice still managing to sound skeptical. Jiraiya grimaced.

"Of course I do." He muttered. Kumori snorted.

"Could have fooled me," she muttered quietly. Jiraiya frowned.

"Is that why you left? You didn't think that I would follow my orders?" he asked. Kumori turned her head slightly so that she could regard him for a moment eyes carefully taking the details of his face.

"Yes." Jiraiya grimaced as a flash of annoyance crossed his face.

"Geez. Even if I didn't follow my orders, did you really have to run off?" he grumbled. It would have been so much easier for her to do that and perhaps this misunderstanding would have cleared itself up much faster.

"Why should I have stayed? Because it would have been _**easier** _for me? Because I don't have **_anywhere_ **else to go? I've had to swallow that bitter pill before and I am not going to go through that again. I didn't think that you were going to do what you where supposed to do anyways, which meant that there was no way for me to join the leaf anyways," Jiraiya frowned at her words but didn't interrupt. Experience had taught him that sometimes if you didn't speak the person in question would tell you more of what you needed to know. After a moment however it became clear to him that if he didn't speak up she would fall asleep on him.

"You said that I wasn't going to help you anyways. How did you reach that conclusion?" he demanded quietly.

"Truthfully, you and I both know that the Hokage can't make you do anything you don't want to do." She said quietly making Jiraiya's face go unreadable, "He had to give you a warning not to let something mysteriously 'happen' to me. That mixed with your political power doesn't put me in a good position to be since your position keeps you from being punished too badly for anything. I figured I might as well take off before you grew bored and sent me off, or got rid of me somehow," she muttered sleepily.

"You don't even know me enough to be able to decide that," he said lowly, feeling a bit annoyed at her assumptions about him though he had to admit that he could understand what had fueled her thinking. Still it had caused them both a lot of trouble, and they where slightly behind their travel schedule.

"I do know that you are a ninja, which makes you capable of just about anything," she muttered as Jiraiya's eyes widened slightly in understanding_. Oh. Hmm, she has a good point._ They sat there in silence for a number of minutes as Jiraiya thought long and hard about what she had said. Ninja. She had said it with slight distaste.

That wasn't civilian reasoning. That was far too drastic and paranoid. Definitely not naïve, so he didn't need to worry about that in her if he decided to take her on as his student. It was true, he could use his political power and skills as a ninja to keep himself out of trouble if he really wanted to make her disappear for good, because all ninja had the skills needed to do just that. And he was one of the best that had put her in a toad to spite her and his sensei before they had even got on the road. Sure, he wasn't the kind of man to get rid of her permanently, but he was far more honorable than most ninja, and she didn't know that, and she was funtion on the assumption that he was just any old ninja.

_My first mistake was to treat her like a civilian,_ Jiraiya thought with a frown as he gazed at her. He had thought that she would be furious with him but understand the harsh reality of her situation and stay. That way, she wouldn't bother him and would keep him at arm's length instead of nag him to teach her all the time. He had wanted to avoid that. But she hadn't. She had sensed the danger and decided to get away while she still could.

She appeared to have drifted off into sleep, her body no longer able to hold up after her exhausting run. It was impressive that she had been able to last that long. There was no way she hadn't been in pain after the first forty minutes but she had still kept a steady pace that would eat through miles. With their journey four days in, they were already nearing one of the first great towns before reaching the southern part of Hi no Kuni. _Well, she definitely has the guts for the job_, Jiraiya thought with a frown. She didn't shy away from the harshness of her situation, and in the wild as she tried to do the best she could with what she had. She had taken advantage of the fact that poisons wouldn't affect her, despite the nasty taste. She had eaten her meat raw which was disgusting but imperative for her survival. She had enough common sense as well to spot an ambush. It went without a doubt, that she would make a fine student and an excellent ninja.

But Jiraiya wasn't going to train her _**just**_ like that. No. She might have the capability and the mind and body that could make her into a great Shinobi, but she had run away at the first sign of danger from him. She had run the moment she had gotten to the hospital and she had run the moment she had spotted him after dealing with the bandits. She was a flight risk and if she ran from those things, what's to say that she wouldn't just abandon Konoha? No, he was going to establish her background, but he was going to wait and see if she was worth to be his student.

That in mind he rose to his knees and began gathering her up in his arms. She groaned when his arm slid under her knees and he found himself frowning. There was no way she would be able to do more than hobble around for the next few days. Her legs would need time to recover from today's bout of running. Perhaps this was best. _That way it will be harder for her to run off this time,_ he thought as he picked her up carefully, still deep in thought as he shifted her to a more comfortable position in his arms. She was painfully light and he found himself frowning in concern. She was definitely going to have to put some weight on.

**AN: Aaaaaand CUT! Whew. As you can see, Kumori is one smart bag of crazy. She's figured out how to use her chakra enough for it to be effective, she's learned how to tree jump, has worked on her sensing abilities, how to use Chakra enhanced strength and speed, and that she can eat just about anything and survive. **

**She also has triggers that once hit make her go crazy. She's not normally like this though, as you've seen from the past chapters. Mostly she's mellow and amicable but when she flips out, she goes all the way.**

**As for why she was screaming at the sky after dealing with the wolves, you got to understand: adrenaline rush baby. **

**Being alive is an amazing feeling when you know that you could have just lost it all. Besides, she thought it was just her and the big wide plains… and dead wolves… but you get the picture! **

**Come on.. admit it… You know that you do weird or goofy things when no one else is around… like dance really REALLY bad to loud music, roll on the floor…and… stuff. Cough. Yeah, moving on! **

**Leave a review! Because **

**The next chapter is ALREADY WRITTEN and its JUICY! Mwahahaha!**

** Its got a super big bombshell in it. Kukukuku...**

**I'm** **not going to put an amount of reviews to fill or anything. Just please tell me what you thought. I have also answered a few questions that yall have asked, and the answers are in the next chapter! Thank you!**


	11. Chapter 9

**AN: **

**First off, I apologize for going overboard on this chapter the first time i posted it. It has been rewritten to be more realistic, and i omitted a lot of trivial things from the original chapter because i promised a chapter and a chapter you will get, but i had to keep it within a certain amount of quality instead of quantity. This redone chapter is much shorter than what i had originally written since this change is on such short notice. Again, my apologies.**

**Thank you so much for the AMAZING reveiws! I love you guys so much! Well, here is the chapter as promised. I Apologize for not getitng it out soon but there where a few things that had to be changed in it. I hope you all enjoy!**

**...**

**If you want to see what Kumori writes for Jiraiya look at the Halloween special.**

**Warning: sexual references, Language,**

**South of Hi no Kuni**

Kumori woke the next day to find herself in a lavished Inn room, Jiraiya writing quietly at the Kotetsu table as she had blinked awake blearily. Still sore, hurting and groggy she had found that she had barely been able to move her legs without shots of agony racing through her. An over use of chakra in the legs, Jiraiya had explained as he had helped her sit up. She was still wary of him, but after he went through the trouble of tracking her down, saving her life then getting her to a place where she could rest and recover she had decided to give him a chance.

He had left to go get her some food and she had found herself scooting over to a set of double door the room had that led to the outside of their room. Sliding it back she had found to her delight a private hot spring and a wooden tub out on the porch. Jiraiya had returned by then and had nearly been thrown into a panic until he realized that she had just been trying to get into the tub outside. With her legs still burning in pain she had needed help to get in the tub. When it became clear to her that she would need help bathing as well, she had swallowed her pride and asked Jiraiya to assist her, expecting rude leering or perhaps some groping from a self proclaimed super pervert. Oddly enough, he was actually an utter gentleman about it and even checked over her wounds, bandaged the cut on her back, and helped her get dressed in a yakuta lent by the inn. Afterwards they ate the food the Inn provided and Kumori went back to sleep for a bit. Jiraiya didn't bother her much as she recovered from her over usage of chakra, her legs feverish and achy.

When she reawaken, her eye had gone wide as she spotted her erhu and cloths beside her, and she learned that he had gotten her things from the apartment and had merely sealed them in a scroll. Jiraiya had been a bit puzzled as to why she had wanted to bash her head into a wall but he had stopped her with the complaint that they were already spending too much time waiting for her to recover and couldn't afford to waste more. Still irritable but in a decidedly better mood, Kumori went about practicing her Erhu for a bit before the hostess asked her if she would play in the gardens instead of in her room since the other guests wanted to hear better.

Jiraiya had had to carry her there and leave a blanket with her but hadn't minded. He had even brought his manuscript with him so he could listen to her as he worked. They took their lunch in the garden as well.

Awkward silence had descended, Kumori still a bit standoffish and Jiraiya not knowing what to do to break the ice. And then she had asked him about his book.

"Oh, uh, I don't think you would like it," said Jiraiya nervously as he tried to tuck it away. Kumori frowned as she raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" Jiraiya had cringed at the question.

"W-well, uh, i-its about… Ok, you know how I'm a super pervert right?" he hedged a bit warily. Most women where indignant when they found out he wrote smut and porn filled stories for a living. They usually grew even more disgusted when they realized it was the top seller Icha Icha.

"Oh, so it's porn or something?" she asked as she reached for the loose papers, her eyes roving over what he had written so far. Jiraiya held his breath as she moved to the next page. There had been a sex scene in that one. After a moment Kumori snorted before giggling making Jiraiya frown as his body posture relaxed and he stopped leaning away from her.

"What?" he asked, sounding a bit irritable as she continued to snicker.

"This part is waaaay over the top," Kumori said as she pointed to a particular section. Jiriaya groaned as he pouted slightly.

"I wasn't sure what to put there. The scene needs to be redone anyways," he grumbled as Kumori shook her head and grabbed his pen.

"No, its fine. You just need to get rid of this right here and insert a bit more detail here or else the reader isn't going to get caught up in the sensation of it all. Try to expand a bit on what the guy and woman are feeling too. Does she have any mixed feelings about what's going to happen? Is she excited? Scared? Why is she scared? Is she scared because she's falling too hard too fast and she wants to push away but can't live without him? What about him? It awkward because you where rushing, and you haven't expanded for the reader yet. The scene is fine," she said as she made her annotations. She turned to find Jiraiya staring at her with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. Kumori stiffened in surprise before looking around uncertainly.

"What?"

"How did you… When, no! Why do you-"

"Jiraiya, Jiraiya, Jiraiya; you're not the only one that likes to 'write.'" She said with a slight grin as shock then glee flashed across his face.

"You mean you-"

"Yes. I write smut when I can though I usually spend my time on adventure stories… with a twist," she said with a sly grin, making her look foxy for a moment with the wild halo of red hair framing her face messily. Jiraiya suddenly pulled her into a bear hug making her yelp as he gave a laugh, trying not to cackle like a maniac.

"Finally a kindred spirit! And here I thought that you were going to complain about my writing and that you where another prudish annoying woman," he said with a wide grin. Kumori snorted.

"I **_am_** a prude, but that doesn't mean that I'm uncomfortable with my sexuality," she said with a mild shrug that made Jiraiya grin a bit harder.

"Come on! Write me something! I want to see what kind of writing you do," he said as he offered her some pen and paper. With a shrug Kumori got comfortable and began to think, thoughtlessly using Jiraiya as a backrest. She may have missed it but Jiraiya celebrated a small victory on the inside at the little sign that she was starting to grow more comfortable around him. She hummed thoughtfully before grinning.

They stayed out there chatting and eventually sharing tea, only leaving when evening began to set. Jiraiya had had to carry her back to the room and they went to have dinner on the porch as they watched the sun set. He didn't seem to mind carrying her places or getting her things too much, though she had to admit she disliked needing the help. Overall the day had been a lot less tense as the two of them began to acclimate to one another.

Today was the second day of their visit at the Inn and by now her legs no longer hurt, Kumori noted as she roused awake, blinking a few times before a wide yawn split her face. She looked over groggily to find that Jiraiya was still asleep. She wobbled slightly as she stood from her futon and her legs where stiff, but she could use them and that was what mattered. She poked her head out of the window to find that it was early morning and looked back over her shoulder where Jiraiya was. He was splayed out on his futon snoring lightly, still asleep.

_Might as well let him rest_, Kumori thought with a slight frown. She didn't want to wait around for him to wake up though and there wasn't much to do in the room. Looking over her shoulder she spied her Erhu and grinned slightly. Well, she could think of something to do.

…

Jiraiya sighed quietly as he rolled over, sleepy but starting to wake up. There was the slight crinkle of paper and he cracked open an eye to find a note plastered to the side of his face. Sitting up, he groggily detached the note with a yawn before blinking a few times to clear his eyes.

Jiraiya, I'm off to play at the market. Will be back around lunch. –Kumori

Jiraiya's eyes went wide as a shot of cold panic flared through him, now wide awake. _She left again?!_ He scrambled for his cloths with a hiss of curses. He couldn't let her out of his sight for a moment, could he?! Cloths not quite on right but his pants in place he took off through the inn, only stopping at the front door to retrieve his geta sandals and ask the hostess if she had seen Kumori. After that he took off towards the market place, hoping that Kumori was actually where she said she was. The closer he drew, the more agitated he got. He couldn't hear an erhu anywhere. Was she even there? After a moment he spotted a small crowd at the base of a tree that began to clap. He quickly made his way over, pushing past a few people before he spotted the person he was looking for sitting at the base of the tree on a small stump, instrument in her lap. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief before he began to scowl.

"Kumori." He called, his tone disapproving as he made his way over to her. Several people of the crowd looked at the much taller white haired man nervously as he stopped before the young woman, all but dwarfing her in size.

"Hmm? Oh, good you're awake. I was going to let you sleep in. Are you ready to travel yet or is the stuff back at the room?" she asked, paying no mind to the tense atmosphere and dispelling it unintentionally with her easy response. Jiraiya stopped frowning as he came to sit at the base of the tree.

"You could have woke me," he muttered as he lay back with a sigh, his eyes sliding shut. He hadn't rested well last night despite the comfortable bedding.

"True," she said with a hum, "But you looked tired." She went back to tuning her instrument before starting to play once more, the sweet sounds pulling more pass by-ers to come see what was going on. When she finished her song, the people began to clap enthusiastically and drop money in her case.

"Hey do you want-" Kumori pause as she turned to find that Jiraiya had drifted back to a light doze against the tree. She couldn't help but smile a little before getting up leaving her stuff with him as she went to one of the street vendors and bought some yakitori and onigiri (riceballs). She returned to sit on her stump before reaching over and sticking a yakitori stick in Jiraiya's mouth. He jerked in surprise before sending her an annoyed look her way as she ignored him and continued to eat her food. After a moment he did the same, still looking a bit irritated.

"You're bad at faking sleep," she finally said as she offered him another yakitori stick and a rice ball. He harrumphed but took the offered food with a nod of thanks.

"How could you tell?" he asked in between bites. Kumori just chuckled.

"I'll let you figure that out. And I knew you where awake when I first left several days ago," she said lightly, making Jiraiya blink in surprise. "So… why did you let me leave?" she asked. Jiraiya sighed before digging back into his food, trying to formulate his thoughts as he ate.

"Well, I can't make you stay," he said slowly before he looked up with a sheepish grin, "Well, I could actually, but I'd rather not. A woman's grudge can last for a very long time and I knew better than to provoke you like that," _after already making you furious_, seemed to hang in the air as he cringed slightly before he frowned. "And I thought that you had just left because you where angry. So I figured if I gave you some time to cool down and reconsider, that you would be more reasonable the next time you saw me." Kumori harrumphed, clearly not sold.

"You could have caught up with me sooner when you where chasing me," she said after a moment making Jiraiya purse his lips.

"Wanted me worn out?" she asked as she crossed her arms. Jiraiya gave a nervous laugh.

"Well, like I said, I wanted you to stay but you would have to take the time to actually reconsider first."

"Is that why the inn we are staying at is so much nicer? And the food better? So that I will be less likely to run off again?" she asked her tone slightly teasing making Jiraiya grimace slightly. He hadn't expected her to pick up on all that. She snorted in amusement before poking him lightly in the shoulder.

"Jiraiya." He looked up at her serious tone. "I want to live in the Hidden Leaf. If you are willing to help me find a way to do that, then I'll stay. And like I said, it is your choice whether or not you will end up training me. No one can make you do anything you don't want to. I just hope that you're at least considering it," She said, making Jiraiya relax a little. Well, that cleared up a lot for him. Hopefully she wouldn't try to nag him about teaching her thought.

"Any particular reason why a ninja?" he asked eventually. Kumori smirked.

"Tons of reasons, But I will give you two, because one way or another, with or without your help, I will become a ninja. Reason one, I have someone that I want to protect, and I can't do that as a civilian. And reason two, because the hidden leaf is a nice village to live in, despite the way they treat Naruto most of the time, and I want to be able to keep living there." She said as she stood with stretch, groaning in content as a few bones popped back into place before she picked up her erhu case once more.

"You ready?" she asked as she glanced over her shoulder. Jiraiya appeared thoughtful as he nodded slowly and stood falling in step beside her as they began to weave through the busier part of the market. He blinked from his thoughts when the sun was replaced with shade and he found himself standing in front of a shop as Kumori opened the door.

"What are we doing here?" he asked as he followed her in, the door jingling shut behind them.

"I need travel cloths, among other things," she said as she moved to the counter when an older looking woman sat. Jiraiya tried not to grimace as he took a seat beside the front door_. I hope that this isn't going to take forever_, he bemoaned to himself mentally as he watched the two women begin chatting as if they where old friends before the shop keeper motioned for Kumori to follow her.

Twenty minutes later Jiraiya found himself looking over the yukata robes she had gotten finding his eyebrows go up steadily as he looked them over. Of course she had managed to wrangle him into carrying them for her till she got a scroll and holster for him to seal them into. Three yukata where high quality and colorful. The other two where plainer, clearly meant for bad weather and heavy travel from the stitching and heavier fabric that made up the sage green and tan yukata. There was also a heavy haori in navy with padded lining and a set of thick geta socks in the stack as well for colder weather. He frowned doing the mental math, over how much this would cost.

"How where you able to pay for all of this?" he asked slowly, not really sure he wanted an answer. Kumori just shot him a cheeky grin over her shoulder, clearly in a good mood.

"Don't worry. Your bank account is still in one piece. I actually paid for it all by myself," she said, a slight hint of pride in her voice. Jiraiya found himself frowning.

"How?" he asked again, puzzled. This was clearly over 11,000 yen ($90+). She turned, before pointing to the erhu case that rest on his shoulder. His eyebrow rose slightly, having forgotten that she had snuck it on him. Sneaky woman.

"Really?" he asked, voice slightly perplexed. Kumori just chuckled as she playfully bumped into his side. She paused eyes going wide as she caught the sight of something.

"Ooo," she breathed, eyes sparkling. Jiraiya turned to see what had caught her interest before grimacing.

"Haven't you shopped enough?" he grumbled as she made her way over to see the items in the shop window. The glare she shot him instantly made him go quiet. Ten minutes later they were traveling down the road, Kumori grinning happily as Jiraiya tried not to scowl.

**_Flashback_**

"**_The Hokage gave you a budget for taking care of me, and a side pay, right?" Jiraiya eyed her warily._**

"**_What of it?"_**

"**_I would like to get a small sword and this scroll," she said as she pointed to the items in the shop._**

**_Flashback ends_**

"I get why you decided to get the scroll and a holster for the scroll. I'll admit it was a good idea," Said Jiraiya as he gestured to the scroll that Kumori had in a pouch on her hip. They had sealed all of her travel goods in it. "But why did you have to pick such an expensive wakizashi (short sword)?" grumbled Jiraiya as Kumori continued to celebrate over her new sword.

"Because I'm only going to be getting one and I need something so that I can defend myself next time I get in a fight," she said as Jiraiya snorted.

"That's what I'm for," he said as he did a pose before starting to flex his muscles. Kumori giggled.

"How you doin?" he asked in a suave voice, making her laugh harder at his antics before her face grew serious.

"Well, you can't protect me all the time. You've got other things to do than worry about me all the time," she murmured as a slight frown began to spread on her face. "If you are as famous as you say you are and everyone believes you to be, then there will be people after you and they will target me first probably since they think that I will be a weak spot." She murmured. Jiraiya's grin faded into something more serious as he regarded the young woman that walked besides him.

"I suppose you're right." He murmured a frown dotting his face. He hadn't wanted to train another student other than Naruto after what had happened to all his other students, and the only reason he was going to train the boy was because of what he owed the boy's father. He was Naruto's Godfather after all and because of his work he hadn't really been able to be in the boy's life. He would be there for the kid's training though.

Then there was the fact that he wanted to have proper time to train whoever he was going to train, and he doubted that he would be able to do that with Kumori. And then there was the fact that he didn't know this woman and she hadn't been born and raised in Konoha. There was no assurance she wouldn't just up and leave the moment things got tough, since she was so flighty. But, she had a really good point. She was a weak spot, and if he didn't step in and do something about it, it would be more likely than not that in the time it took for him to travel this trip, she would be kidnapped or attacked. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, since he usually traveled swiftly making it hard for people to find him, but while making her cover, and monitoring his spy network, he was going to have to move a lot slower and it would give his enemies more time to catch up with him. Unknowingly she had touched on a very important point and he found himself sighing as he resolved to think this over later.

"There will be times you need that sword," he admitted in a murmured as she opened the sword again before squealing.

"This level of craftsmanship is just so amazing," she gushed as Jiraiya resisted the urge to sigh and roll his eyes at her girlish behavior.

"How would you know?" he asked rhetorically. She grinned happily at him over her shoulder. It had been years and it had been nice to hold such a nice blade in her hands and not even his annoying questions could bring her mood down.

"I know a thing or two. I'm no swords master, but I know enough basics to use one and how to spot good quality when I see it," she said before returning to his side. Jiraiya snorted and shook his head again resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Yeah right. He would have to test her later to see how bad she was.

"Still doesn't explain why it had to be so expensive, especially if you don't even know how to use it right," he grumbled. A menacing aura immediately surrounded Kumori.

"Don't you dare keep nagging me about that! I just had to spend a lot of my personal money for travel clothing and I'm not asking you to hand over my allowance, am I?" she partly yelled making him wince and look away nervously. She crossed her arms a knowing look on her face.

"Ah huh, thought so. Skimming some of the top?" she asked making Jiraiya blush slightly as he crossed his arms pensively over his chest. She snorted.

"I don't really care as long as you don't nag me when I want to get something that's well within our budget." She warned making Jiraiya sigh in defeat.

"Fine," he grumbled.

"There is no 'fine' about this! Unless you want me in charge of those funds?" she snapped heatedly as he cringed further.

"Alright alright, you win," he grumbled. A couple passing them chuckled making Kumori turn to look at them in interest as she raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Sorry. It's just that you two are such a cute couple," the woman apologized with a smile. Jiraiya's eyes went wide before he began grinning like a fool, his chest puffed up manly pride. Yup! That's right! There was no doubt that this lovely little thing was with him! Kumori's eye began to twitch in annoyance but she didn't both trying to dissuade them. The man traveling with the woman nodded before sending Jiraiya a sympathetic look.

"Yeah, you're clearly whipped. It's alright, things get better," the man said as he tried to console Jiraiya whose face had dropped as Kumori began to laugh.

"You've got that right," she said with a wink before grabbing Jiraiya's arms. "Come on dear, we still have a ways to go," she said cheerily as Jiraiya began to grumble under his breath.

…

Kumori frowned at the snail's pace they were moving. After traveling several days using tree hopping she had gotten used to moving at a faster speed.

"Why don't we take to the trees?" she asked as she gestured up to the thick branches above them.

"You're still hurt so you shouldn't be running treetops just yet," he said distractedly. Truth was he just didn't feel like tree hopping as he juggled his thoughts. They would be to the next town before nightfall anyways. No need to rush.

"Actually, the cuts all healed up by now and my rib doesn't hurt anymore," she said before grinning widely, "In fact I skinned my knee pretty bad when you where chasing me but that's all healed up too! See?" she said as she pointed to the pink new skin as Jiraiya frowned thoughts churning. That had just been two days ago. That should have taken more than a week to heal. And now that she mentioned it, he had thought it odd that she be up and about after one day of recovery, which was the only reason he had let himself sleep in this morning. It should have taken at least three or four at most for her to recover. After a moment he held out his hand.

"Let me see your hands," he asked. She shot him a curious look but complied. Jiraiya frowned as her took in the freshly healed skin, the scars already fading. She had bloodied her knuckles punching that wolf to bits and her fingers had been all cut up when she had forced that other wolf's jaws open. After a moment of examining her healed hands he sighed.

"I think that you have advanced healing. It happens sometimes with the Uzumaki," Jiraiya muttered as Kumori's eyes went wide before she frowned eyes narrowing.

"Wait, are you saying that this healing rate isn't normal?" she asked slowly. Jiraiya shook his head as her eye went wide again in shock. When she perked up with a grin he cut her off.

"Just because you heal faster doesn't change anything," Jiraiya warned, "You are sworn off from using chakra at the moment."

"But I'm alright now," she cried as she pointed behind her to the miles they had traveled. Jiraiya merely shook his head before ruffling her hair.

"You will only make your recovery time longer if you keep doing this. Tomorrow we will use chakra, just not today." Kumori was not been pleased but relented as she fell into step beside him.

"So, where did you learn about swords?" he asked quietly after a period of time. She was quiet for a moment before looking at him furtively.

"From a good friend of mine," she muttered before looking away with a slight frown.

"Tell me more?" Jiraiya asked. He was trying to make a very important decision regarding her and he wasn't going to be making it unless he had enough information on her first. As much as they had talked in the past two days, it still wasn't enough for him to decide whether or not to take her on as his student. She looked at him for a moment, analyzing him before sighing. Kumori really didn't like sharing things about Antonia, but…

"She was… amazing. She would probably be considered a ninja in the making compared to me. She knows how to fight hand to hand like me, And she can use a sword almost professionally, and is-was an excellent shot with the bow. In fact, she's the reason my family even let me near weapons," said Kumori with a small smile as her eyes grew misty from a time long past. Jiraiya didn't miss the past tense that was suddenly being used. A recent death then.

"Tell me about her?" he asked. Kumori smiled, though there was a hint of sadness in it.

"Her name was-"

…

"**_Fuzen!_**" screamed Kabuto as he stared angrily into the sparse forest that Experiment D had taken refuge in. They knew D was there because their best sensor Karin had said so. One of the E experiments had been killed trying to hold off the following ninja, and the trackers weren't sure if Experiment D was with the other E or not. Either way, the ninja that had accidentally killed one of the E's had already been dealt with. Kabuto had made sure of that personally, and let all the other Oto ninja know what would happen to them if that kind of failure happened again.

They had gone through a lot of trouble securing these subjects.

The Forbidden Lake had gotten its name not from its top secret contents, but from how hard it was to locate, even by those who had been before.

There was no doubt that Lord Orochimaru was going to be furious once he had found out what had happened. If they were lucky they could get the rest of the live experiments back in their cages before he got back.

"Fuzen!" he called out into the trees once more. It was what Experiment D had started calling herself. Such a cheeky woman too, always with something sharp or witty to say…

After a moment a figure seemed to rise from the ground as Fuzen revealed herself. Her short blood red hair came to frame her cheeks, the stands dirty and unwashed in a crop cut that most of their prisoners and experiment where subjected to. Her red eyes where wild and filled with deadly focus all at once. After a moment she grinned at him eerily, like he was the one in the trap not her, revealing canines that where sharper than they should have been.

"Stop this foolishness Fuzen. It's time to go back to the base," Kabuto called irritably as he crossed his arms over his chest. She merely chuckled before turning her head slightly, making Kabuto's eyes go wide when he finally spotted a little boy with short red hair on her back. It was the other Experiment E!

"You better hold on tightly kid," said the young woman before black marks began to creep across her skin, her chakra pulsing as a dark energy began to ooze from her. Kabuto took a step back in shock, the chakra pressure nearly driving him to his knees.

_She knows how to use the curse mark?! But how?!_

After a moment the curse mark covered her entire body as it went to stage two, turning her skin a sickly red brown as her hair turned darker red and grew long and wild. Large wings of spiky scales began to sprout from her back before they snapped open sending a powerful blast of wind Kabuto's way. If he hadn't dug his feet into the ground using chakra, she would have sent him flying. She smirked her red gold eyes now locked with his, a large black diamond in the middle of her face, a twin set of horns poking from beneath her hair. She smirked, showing off her long sharp teeth from between her blood red lips.

"No!" screamed Kabuto as she crouched but it was too late. She shot into the air like a rocket and Kabuto let lose a scream of frustration as the power of the air blast sent him flying backwards and into a tree. He lay there in a daze for a moment before gritting his teeth and activating his remote healing ability.

_How the hell had she known about the next level of the curse mark? How had she known about how to use chakra for chakra enhanced strength?!_

She had managed to tear right through the bars that had kept her and the other experiments in place. It was only understandable that with her natural muscle tone from her world mixed with chakra that she would be able to do such a thing, but that still didn't explain how she knew about chakra… Kabuto grit his teeth as he sat up. Something wasn't right about experiment D, and he was going to figure out what it was, even if it killed him.

Well, he would figure her out if he lived long enough.

He could only pray to whatever gods existed that Lord Orochimaru wouldn't kill him for this disaster.

…

"-And she could speak fluent Japanese, which was one of the reasons I learned it in the first place and got into the Japanese culture. She knew at least three languages though. And she was also pretty hard core when it came to knowing how to survive. Throw her in the woods with killer animals for a week and she would come out of it covered in pelts and dragging the meat behind her. Ugh, I never did understand her work out routine. She was always trying o get me to lift weights, which I would do every now and then. Her parents where always busy so there was almost never someone there to tell her no when she got a new hobby, and she and I would get into just about everything." She said with a giggle as she remembered that time they almost blew up Antonia's kitchen.

"This Antonia girl sounds like she was crazy," said Jiraiya with a frown before Kumori smacked him in the arm.

"Hey, careful who you are talking about. That crazy girl was my best friend. She was like a lifeline for me when things where really rough," she chided as Jiraiya frowned at her.

"Like when?" Jiraiya asked, causing Kumori to purse her lips as she waved a hand dismissively.

"Just a troubled house hold growing up and then when my parents died," she said with a grimace as Jiraiya regarded her somberly.

"I'm sorry for your loss. When did this happen?" he asked quietly. Kumori crossed her arms over her chest in discomfort but gave a halfhearted shrug.

"When I was fifteen or sixteen. So a few years ago," she muttered frowning slightly.

"Despite that she always did say **_she_** was the unlucky one, called herself a Jinx. She said she got the great home life but bad luck and I always got the bad home life but the great luck." She muttered with a shrug. "In fact, her Japanese nick name was **_Fuzen_**, since it means misfortune. It was a bit of a play on the irony of her name." she said. At Jiraiya's confused look she decided to expand a bit. "She was born on Friday the thirteen, which is considered an unlucky day in my 'home town,' but her last name is fortune. But why you speak to her using Ms. Instead of her name, it becomes MissFortune, as in unlucky." She said before flinching as a water droplet hit her in the head. She looked up to find the clouds above dark and heavy with rain.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" she groaned

...

That night they were forced to find shelter early since night fell faster with the clouds. Jiraiya showed her where to find some caves and what kind to pick if you had a choice. Soon they were holed up in an elevated cave with a fire crackling in the center near the entrance. Kumori slept fitfully, the thunder making it hard to rest until Jiraiya took mercy and decided to set up some seals to keep the noise down.

Well rested, the next morning when both where ready, they took to the road swiftly, the going quiet except for the occasional splash of going through a puddle until Kumori finally spoke up.

"Thank you," Kumori said suddenly making Jiraiya blink as he was pulled from his thoughts. He had been doing that a lot lately, Kumori noted. Little did she know what he was thinking about.

"For?" he asked.

"Everything," she murmured quietly before shooting him a glare. "Except for sticking me in that toad," she growled. He gave a sheepish laugh as he held up his hands in a placating manner.

"Hey, I had to get you out of the village somehow," he said with a sheepish grin as she continued to glare.

"You left me there for at least six hours," she pointed out calmly making him grimace.

"I wanted to get to the next town before letting you back out, but I ran into that kid so it took me a bit longer to get out of the village and on the road," he said making Kumori look at him sharply.

"You mean Naruto?" she asked with a narrowing of the eyes. Jiraiya nodded taking note of how her annoyance had morphed into an alert tension.

"What happened that took so long," she asked carefully though he could tell from her tone that he might want to be careful with what he said.

"I was setting up protective seals on his home, why?" he asked making her blink in shock.

"P-pro-"

"Protective seals, yes. If anyone managed to get past the front door with an intent to harm the kid they are going to get a nasty… shock," he said with a grin at her stunned face." I put some wards up around the windows and the rest of the house too. In exchange, the kid got me all your stuff but it still took a while to make all those seals and show him how to use them," he said as Kumori blinked rapidly, trying to grasp what he was saying. Seals where the things that had blocked out the thunder last night, that had made the barrier, and that kept people from seeing where they were hidden. She found herself elated and nervous all at once at the thought of what those protective seals could do.

"And these… 'seals,' they'll protect him?" she asked quietly, nervousness in her voice, her eyes pleading. she wanted to know the boy would be alright... and that Jiriaya hadn't screwed up like he almost had last night. Jiraiya frowned a bit at her before nodding solemnly.

"They will." She nodded to herself eyes growing misty before she nodded fighting to keep her emotions in check.

Maybe… maybe Jiraiya wasn't so bad after all. Sure he was a pervert, but then again, so was she. He had locked her up in that toad for hours but part of that time had been so he could go get her stuff and so he could set up those seals for Naruto. And because of that she could partially forgive him for the time he had left her there. It hadn't been completely out of spite. Perhaps a large part of it, but not all and she couldn't begrudge his for that. If he had seen Naruto though then he must have talked to him. She hadn't even gotten to say goodbye to the kid.

_He must think that I had ditched him_, she thought before realizing with a shock, that she actually done just that. When she had turned her back on her chance at Konoha, she had been turning her back on a chance to look after the kid.

"A-and did you tell him that I won't be coming home for a while?" she asked, starting to choke up as she tried to keep her eyes from tearing up. Her guilt for running off earlier was starting to hit her. She had almost ruined everything if Jiraiya hadn't hunted her down and been so persistent about creating her cover. No more hidden leaf, no more Naruto, no more chance at an almost normal home. All gone because she had overreacted. She hadn't even given this trip a chance and had just run off…

Jiraiya shifted uncomfortably as the growing tears before patting her on the back as they continued walking.

"Yeah. I... uh... let the kid know that you wanted to say good bye before you left but that you didn't have a choice and was whisked off before you could," he said as Kumori nodded quickly as she scrubbed her eyes, trying to get rid of her tears as she struggled to keep her emotions in check. A part of her was touched deeply by what Jiraiya had done, and it brought forth a swell of guilt and self loathing at what **_she_** had almost done.

"G-good. I don't want him t-to think that I just l-left him." She mumbled through her sleeve, her expression growing concerned as she began to frett. She missed the slightly guilty look that was on Jiraiya's face. He hadn't told Naruto that since he had been rushing to get out of there as quickly as possible. She however didn't miss the slight waver that hit his chakra. Something in her knew that he had been lying about telling the boy and that made her worry even more over him. Before she knew it she was talking.

"He's all by himself and took me in so easily, I was worried about someone trying and taking advantage of his naivety and loneliness. He's a good kid, but he needs someone who knows how to deal with people around to teach him things, things he was supposed to learn from his mother and father. No one will interact with him beyond hate, so how will he learn how to spot a liar; a user; a thief; a two face back stabber; or a manipulator, if they treat him kindly? He's either completely on guard and obvious about it or completely open and trusting. I'm just worried… that he will think that I abandoned him…" she muttered as she began to chew her bottom lip.

Jiraiya could feel something sinking in his gut as she described the kid. He had known a bit of what Minato's kid had had to go through but it was different to hear about the affects of hatred from someone who knew the kid and how it was affecting him. In fact, from the way she was talking about him, it seemed like she had really paid attention to the boy, more than just a person who was staying with him temporarily. Jiraiya vaguely realized that perhaps Shikaku had had a reason stating that for her cover she was supposed to be posing as the boy's distant family. He hadn't had time yet to look through the paper work that Shikaku had come up with and would have to read through it later.

"It would probably hurt him more than anything anyone has said..." she murmured.

"Sounds like you care about him," Jiraiya muttered with a frown. He opened his mouth to ask her something before he paused, taking in how miserable she looked now. After a moment his eyes widened slightly with understanding. That was it. She **_did_** care about him.

"I shouldn't have just given up so easily… what was I thinking…" she muttered to herself, the words barely hear-able as she nibbled her lower lip clearly upset, not paying him any attention.

"You feel guilty for running off for… for Naruto's sake?" he asked hesitantly. Her shoulders dropped a bit further and he quickly slid an arm around her shoulders to give her a comforting squeeze, feeling more than a little uncomfortable. The Hokage had said that the boy liked her but Jiraiya hadn't expected the two of them to be this close after such a short period of time.

"Hey, it's alright. It… was a big misunderstanding, and we fixed everything," he said, trying to keep her from getting too upset. Before when she ran off she had been really angry and more than a little traumatized, and had clearly given up hope on him securing her future in Konoha. Like Naruto was naïve, he had noticed that she was amazingly jaded in some ways and he found himself wondering if she would lose faith in him just as easily in the future. He would have to make sure not to lose it, if he ever got it.

"Just… don't leave again, alright?" Jiraiya prompted gently as Kumori nodded slowly before trying to smile, except it came out as more of a grimace. After a moment he gave her another comforting squeeze before letting go. He had finally come to a decision about teaching this young woman. Not that he was going to tell her just yet. He wanted to see how she would handle the basics of becoming his student first before telling her.

"Hold on, just a second. I need to take a leak," he said as Kumori nodded, trying to compose herself from her emotional bout earlier. In the cover of the trees, Jiraiya quickly pulled pen and paper from his pack before writing a quick note. He then began to pen a note in a small scroll before summoning a toad, having to hurry. He didn't want Kumori to get suspicious just yet.

"Go to the Hokage. Give him this," said Jiraiya as he handed the toad the note and small scroll. The scroll was to Naruto but the Hokage was going to be the one receiving it, since Kumori was an S rank secret. The kid would still get the message though. The toad saluted before taking off. Satisfied, Jiraiya straightened and jogged back to where he had left Kumori. He flashed her a grin as she looked over at him.

"I'm back," he said, falling into step beside her. After a moment of walking she spoke up.

"Thank you," she said, her voice soft. Jiraiya blinked before sending her a confused grin.

"For?"

"Sending him a note," she murmured. After a moment she gestured to his left thumb which had been freshly cut.

"You just summoned a toad, and the Hokage had mentioned that summons where a way to communicate somehow," she pointed out quietly as Jiraiya had to hold down a blush from being caught in his little white lie. He harrumphed as he crossed his arms, causing Kumori to chuckle lightly with a shake of her head, letting it tip back so she could take in the sight of the big wide sky above her. After a moment she grinned, the wind whipping through her hair as she chuckled, feeling a million times better.

This was going to be an interesting trip and there were no answers as to what it would hold, but it was certain that traveling with Jiraiya was going to be the adventure of a lifetime.

...

**Konohagakure no Sato (hidden in the leaf village)**

The Hokage paused in his writing as a toad zoomed in through the window before landing on his desk. He shot the toad and interested look before looking over his shoulder to the city that lay at his back. The sun was setting on another day, the sky shot with reds and fiery oranges, the blues and pinks and purples shining over the village as the sun continued to sink. He frowned at the elegant silhouettes of the trees and buildings before finally giving the toad on his desk his attention.

"What did you bring?" he asked as he activated his listening seal on his desk. Not even the Anbu in the room guarding him would be able to hear what was said between him and the toad.

"I have a letter from Master Jiraiya," said the small toad before its tongue unrolled showing the small scroll that it had hidden, along with a small piece of paper that went with the scroll. The Hokage took the proffered scroll with a slight frown before rolling it open. After a moment his eyebrows went up and he looked over the note that came with it.

'I will train her in the basics of the ninja arts at least. No promises on anything more. Give this scroll to Naruto, then burn it,' was all it said. As Hiruzen, the third Hokage looked over the scroll he couldn't help but grin slightly to himself, a certain amount of smugness threatening to turn the grin into a wide smirk. It looked like things where going to go as planned.

"Bring me Uzumaki Naruto," the Hokage ordered as he dropped the seal. An Anbu nodded before darting off.

**South Hi no Kuni**

Over the next week, Kumori and Jiraiya spent a lot of their time on the road or staying at an Inn, and consequently talking. It's hard not to when it is seven miles to the next town and the quiet of nature gets boring, and these boredom induced conversations were how Jiraiya discovered most of what he knew about the young lady he was traveling with, beyond watching her interactions with different people in passing.

He had looked over the information on her cover and had drilled her in its back story already, making sure she would be able to answer the questions easily, but he had held off on looking into the personal file that Inoichi and Shikaku had drafted up on the young woman. He didn't want the file's input to get in the way of his decisions regarding her and he wanted to be able to interact with her without preconceived notions clouding his eyes. Because of this he discovered several things:

One: she was a diligent worker and would steadily improve with time at tasks handed to her and she would eventually try to find a more efficient way of doing said tasks so she could get them done faster and more efficiently. He had seen this when he began to teach her chakra control exercises like the leaf exercise or tree walking.

Two: her moral code was flexible but that didn't mean that she wasn't kind or fair. In fact, she probably cut people more slack than she should have, from what he had noticed with her interaction with the people she came across.

Three: drunks made her moody or nervous, or a mixture of the two. She tended to ignore them, but Jiraiya had noticed how quiet and reserved she tended to become whenever he had enough sake to get him tipsy. She also never tried to dissuade him from drinking and something in her gaze seemed to go flat whenever he had had enough sake. She also never really drank though she decided to have some plum wine one evening. Even then it had only been a little.

Four: she could use a short sword, though she lacked the skill and that comes with experience. She didn't have the muscle memory need for an actual fight, but she would be able to fight off a civilian or a group of thugs if needed.

Five: It took a lot to actually make her angry, and she would let a lot slide without consequence. She got annoyed easily but she would either ignore it or start bickering and grumbling, never actually lose her temper. He noticing this he had spent a day just trying to test the range of her patience and anger and had been rewarded with a baka slap to the back of the head by mid day and a warning that she wasn't in the mood for his foolish antics, that she knew what he was doing and to just cut it out.

He had already known of her perceptiveness so he had indeed 'cut it out.'

Six: Her hand to hand fighting skills weren't bad at all. She would only need a bit of work for her fighting style to come together and be effective in a real fight against a low level ninja. For now, she could claim a taijutsu specialist until she learned other things.

Seven: She was a bit of a mother hen in general, looking after him even though he really didn't need it now that her primary target for mother hen-ing was in Konoha.

Eight: She had a large protective streak, and this was the easiest way to see a darker side of her.

The last point was probably the most interesting for Jiraiya to discover, because if he hadn't been paying attention he would have missed **_how_** or **_why_** the fight all started.

It had been the fifth day into this week and they had had to travel into a seedier town for shelter. They had found a little tavern that also was an inn and had decided to stay for the night. Jiraiya, decided to take advantage of the bar downstairs had gone down for a few drinks and information gathering, leaving Kumori to her devices since he knew that she probably wouldn't have been interested. Imagine his surprise when she took the stool next to him, and ordered a plum wine, mainly ignoring him and leaving him to flirt with the cute little thing that was sitting next to him as he eavesdropped on the men further down the bar for information on the Doko Ryu clan's activities. As the night progress she only sipped her drink, uninterested but not leaving, eyes traveling the filled dinning and bar areas as she watched people come and go, laugh, and drink themselves senseless.

Jiraiya had noted how bored she had looked. Then her eyes sharpened and he paused when she began watching the corner of the room like a hawk with an unreadable expression. There was an upset cry and loud drunken laughter from a group of five men. He watched as she rose casually before making her way over. Then she had staggered drunkenly into a man before yelling loudly at him for spilling his drink on her and did he want to take this outside? The man had agreed and soon he and his four friends had filed out all drunk and angry, leaving behind a shaking bar maid whose uniform was coming undone from their rough manhandling. Jiraiya's gaze narrowed and he quickly followed outside to find her beating the crap out of the man, her movements sharp and swift instead of the drunken stagger she had faked earlier. When it became clear that their friend was losing the other four men decided to jump into the fight. Kumori hadn't taken to that very kindly and her fighting style became more vicious and aggressive, ending with her taking a few hit and managing to down all four.

"Next time, keep your hands to yourselves," she snarled before stomping on the last man's hands with a resounding snap, drawing a wail of pain from him before she proceeded to break the other four's hands as well. Jiraiya watched the proceeding with an unreadable face. Those geta sandals she was wearing where just like his, meaning that their hands where being snapped in two different places at least.

"Wasn't that a bit harsh?" Jiraiya asked calmly from where he leaned against the doorway as she dusted herself off and headed back inside. She paused as she shot him an unreadable look.

"Did I rip their dicks off and force feed it to them?" she asked quietly. After a moment Jiraiya realized she was being serious and he blanched a little.

"I broke their hands, yes. I let them off easy too." she said as she stretched, wincing slightly, ribs sore from where she had been hit a couple of times. One of them had probably cracked. She sighed as she set her hands on her hips expression serious as she regarded him before looking back over her shoulder to where the man where groaning in pain, trying to help each other up so they could leave. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"I could have killed them too." she murmured with a pensive frown before grimacing. "Who knows. Maybe one day this comes back to bite me in the ass, because I didn't take care of them while I had the chance," she said before sighing as she crossed her arms. Jiraiya regarded her quietly, brow slightly furrowed.

"Knowing this, are you still going to let them go?" he finally asked. Kumori looked over her shoulder to frown at the men as they began to leave.

"Yes." She murmured before huffing irritably and going inside, leaving him to his thoughts.

He had also see her display protective behavior one more aside from that incident, though it had been very different. Jiraiya still didn't know where her protective streak began or ended, but after a bit of thinking over the next two days he realized that it included him, though she was subtle about it. He had to admit that it was kind of cute though, considering he was the more powerful of the two and the one that could take care of his self the best. He wasn't going to complain though… much. Ok, maybe just a little.

Jiraiya was pulled from his thoughts as the door of the room they shared opened to reveal Kumori wearing one of her nicer yukata while toting her erhu case, a small bag of money in her hand and a bag of take out. She shut the door with a sigh as Jiraiya began to sniff the air appreciatively, already enjoying the delicious smell of food. He didn't have to ask to know that she had gotten some for him too. Another thing he had learned about her; she was remarkably polite and inclusive, and if she had the finds she was generous as well.

"What did you get this time?" he asked as she took a seat beside him with a tired sigh.

"Orange chicken," she muttered distractedly as she began to read over what he had written so far, grabbing a pen before making a few annotation before starting to read once more. Jiraiya hummed happily as he rose and opened the bag and began to separate the food containers. Oo, she had gotten soups and rice as well. He grabbed his chopsticks before clapping his hands. "Itatakimasu," he murmured before digging in. he had been getting hungry. After a moment Kumori put down the paper and did the same, murmuring a low "Itatakimasu" before digging in. After a moment of silence filled with the sounds of eating, Kumori decided to speak up.

"I heard something interesting today," she murmured, "Something about the Doko Ryu." Jiraiya paused before looking up with interest. Seeing she had his attention she continued.

"They are in the next town over is what I heard, and it sounds like they are recruiting men for something." Jiraiya could feel his brow furrowing at the grave news. Groups like the Doko Ryu didn't go about recruiting men unless something was about to happen.

"Did you hear the reason why?" he asked only to pause when silence met his ears. He looked up to find Kumori smirking at him in an uncharacteristic way. He suddenly blinked and grabbed the table as a wave of dizziness hit him hard, his tongue starting to go numb as his fingers began to itch with pinpricks of sensation.

"To kill you honey," said Kumori, only it wasn't Kumori's voice, but another woman's.

"Thankfully though I convinced my father that we wouldn't need to do that to get rid of you," drawled the woman as Jiraiya began to pant to stay conscious as his heart began to slow, fighting to stay awake as he staggered to his feet drunkenly, his head spinning. Oh, he was going to be sick! He could feel his stomach roiling nauseously, the thrill of danger making adrenaline race through his body. Poison. She had poisoned him with the food she had brought. She laughed mockingly as she released her transformation, showing her true appearance, her dark hair long, her ninja outfit dark with fishnet armor underneith. Jiraiya groaned before succumbing as his eyes rolled up in his head, foaming at the mouth as he collapsed to the ground, heart beating shakily before it stopped beating altogether.

He died.

And disappeared in a poof of smoke. The woman stiffened in alarm. _A clone?! Since when?_ She thought as she surged to her feet before dashing for the door. It slid open and the assassin skidded to a stop, her heart leaping in her throat as the young woman standing there grinned viciously, her eyes nearly glowing red as her teeth glinted in the light of the room giving her a feral look with her short wild hair.

"I-I thought I poisoned you! How are you still alive?!" the assassin demanded in disbelief. The young woman merely chuckled.

"That's my secret. Now, unless you want to die in a painful manner you are going to give us the information we need to get into the Doko Ryu safe house that's at the edge of the town," Kumori growled as she slowly began to unsheathe her wakizashi, the sound intimidating as it was low and grating. The assassin turned to dash to the window before falling with a howl of pain, her Achilles tendon in her right leg severed. Their target now unable to walk but not in danger of bleeding to death Kumori shut the door behind her, glad that Jiraiya had put up some silencing seals on the room as she had asked. After a moment there was a shimmer in the air before it faded to reveal Jiraiya sitting against the wall with a bored look as he continued to scribble away in his note book. The assassin began to cry franticly as she realized that with that tendon in her leg severed she wouldn't be able to walk again without getting extensive surgery, meaning she was stuck at the mercy of one of the Sannin of Konoha, and this red haired beast. How was that woman not dead?! She had poisoned the red head with the same poison as that man and his clone had succumbed within the minute. She had seen this woman collapse and curl into herself crying in pain. Jiraiya's notebook snapped shut as he looked up, his face a dark mask of distaste.

"Now. Time to get started." Said the legendary Sannin as he stood, the red haired menace joining him by his side. The assassin could feel her stomach plummet as her eyes went wide with horror as she stared up at them as they looked down on her. Where they going to torture her?

**"Do you want to do the honors?"** Jiraiya asked in English as Kumori frowned slightly.

"**I don't know how to interrogate ninja, and I don't know anything about torture,"** she said as Jiraiya nodded. the assassin stared, not understand. what where they saying?

**"True. That's why I will be walking you through this,"** he said as Kumori sighed tiredly before nodded. **"First though, I want to see what method you would use without my guidance,"** he said making the young woman pause, a thoughtful look on her face before it broke into a wide foxy grin.

**"I think that I can come up with a way or two to get her to talk."** Jiraiya grinned as the assassin looked nervously between the two of them, not sure what to make of the odd language she was hearing them speak in. After a moment Kumori grinned widely as she crouched so she could get closer to the downed assassin.

"We're going to have lots of fun together, you and I," she said with a happy smile as the dread began to climb in the assassin's gut. The flash of red eyes and fangs didn't help either.

**AN:**

_Question:_**Why am I taking my time setting up the dynamics between Jiraiya and Kumori's relationship?**

**Because the foundations of relationships are built in the early stages and these early stages dictate the way a relationship will develop in the future unless something changes the dynamic of said relationship. And there is no way you can spend eight to nine months traveling with someone without creating some form of relationship with them. Yes, I'm afraid it is going to take that long.**

**AND NO!**

**I**won't**go into total detail over everything that happens during their travels but she can't just pick up six years worth of ninja skill and training over night. There will be a**_**time skips**_**to shorten the period of time so chapters don't go too long, but these first few weeks of their relationship will be setting the foundation for their relationship in the future. That's why they are so important.**

_Question:_**OMG! WAS THAT KUMORI'S SUPPOSEDLY DEAD FRIEND?! WHO NOW HAS A CURSE MARK?! DOES THAT MEAN THAT SHE WAS THE ONE THAT CAME OUT OF THE LAKE WHEN OROCHIMARU JUST SHOWED UP IN THE FIRST CHAPTER?! AND SHE WAS KIDNAPPED?!**

**WHAT THE HELL?!**

**Evil laughter. Yes. Yes it was. All part of my little plot my dears, and I planned it from the beginning just to screw with you all and make things much more interesting! There is a purpose to my madness after all. Mwahahaha!**

…

**Itachi- I have a****_really_****bad feeling about this… -/_\\-***

**Fliscent- you should, 'Tachi-kun, you should. In fact, the entire Naruto cast should.**

**Naruto cast- *collective shivers run through the group***

**Kiba- what the hell was that?! *Akamaru whines in fear***

**Shino- … * spidey senses tingling***

**Hinata- *faints… from giant nosebleed***

**Sakura- *suddenly trips* Ow! What was that?! *can barely move with the training weights that appeared on her***

**Sasuke- *tried to grunt 'hn' but realized with horror he can't make his favorite sound***

**Naruto- *shudders* why do I have a bad feeling that I'm going to have to eat... VEGETABLES?**

**Shikamaru- How troublesome… I feel motivation coming on… *groans and gets up***

**Choji- *munch munch* I wonder what just happen to every bod- OW! AHH! Where did my chips go?!**

**Tenten- why do I have a feeling that I'm about to have an interesting turn of OH MY GOSH! NO! GIVE THAT BACK!**

**Neji- My curse seal senses are tingling… there is a disturbance in the force… Of FATE!**

**Lee- *sobbing wildly*Gai-sensei!**

**Gai- *Sobbing wildly* I know Lee! What an un-youthful color!*****hold up spandex suits that are yellow with a black strip down the side.***

**Kakashi- *shudders* My porn senses are tingling! I sense great writing masters at work!**

***evil laughter on the horizon***

(The yellow suits with a black stripe are a reference to Brue lee's famous yellow body suit.)

**ANYWAYS! please leave me a review since I'm still working over what should happen and what I should include on their training trip. I won't say just yet but I have a few ideas, and I will be answering questions either in the next chapters or via PM if you have them. Thank you!**


	12. AUTHORS NOTE

**Author's Note:**

**Hey there everyone!**

** Wow, its been a while. First off I would like to apologize for the fact that I am going to be going on an indefinite Hiatus. Half a year, maybe a year, I don't know yet. Anyways, I just wanted to give you all the news and a head's up as to why I won't be posting. This has mainly to do with getting a new job, moving across country and the training period that I am going to be going through for an indefinite amount of time. Its already been a while since I've actually posted, and this delay was partially due to this. Again, I apologize and I hope to hear from you all soon in the future. I would like to thank the people that have taken the time to read this and review, and soon I'll be able to work on this project again.**

**With love, **

**Fliscent Firetail**


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